Soaring
by Metamorcy
Summary: High school was never a normal place. And it only got weirder when the Leonharts came along… CloudXLeon, SoraXRiku, AxelXRoxas, ZexionXDemyx AU
1. convergence

**Title: Soaring**

**By: Metamorcy**

**Rating**: M

**Pairing**: Leon/Cloud, Riku/Sora, Axel/Roxas, Demyx/Zexion

**Disclaimer**: don't own

**Summary**: High school was supposed to be normal, that was until the Stife and Leonhart group meet… Cleon, Soriku, AkuRoku, Zemyx AU

**Important author note:** Alright, there's going to be a poll that will decide the fate of this story. So when you are done, read the bottom, it will say what it's about. And please do it, I beg of you.

Updated 10/10/09- I've added a little part in the beginning.

I don't have a beta so if there's anyone interested, please message me.

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**Chapter 1: Convergence**

Everyone believes that high school was normal, it was just the same day repeating itself every week over and over. Go to school, do a bunch of shit, then go home. Everyday was completely the same and it was okay. You get used to it and fast. It was just another day to one's mind. Now my story might be a little odd compared to a lot of high school students but I like to think mine is special like in that type of special way. And I'm kinda proud of my high school years too. It was the first time I had ever fallen in love so deeply and completely. It had been the best time of my life. And guess what, he's still with me even after ten years. We're like the perfect couple and some people at work, who has accepted me for my sexuality, are a little jealous of us.

At the moment, we're about to have our tenth anniversary and our high school reunion too that's supposed to come later in a few weeks. I'm so happy that it can't be expressed in words. I finally get to see everyone from that time long ago. I wonder how they are all doing…probably still screwing each other in bed as usual or maybe having a romantic outing like me. My boyfriend is currently trying to pack everything for our week long dreamy vacation in France at the moment, trying to make sure that everything has been accounted for. I've already packed everything I think I need. I had the camera put away as the first thing on the list. There's no way I'm going to forget that, there'd be hell to pay if I did. But in the end, I'm so very excited. Our plane is supposed to leave in a few hours but I'll write down everything that has happened during that time, my time during the high school years and how everything happened. How we got together… I can still remember it clearly even now as I'm typing this onto the computer. They were my fondest memories since that was where everything started.

But I'm not going to tell you just my story. There were others too and we were all intertwined with each other. But that's for you to find out and me to write about.

It was during the first week of high school in the cafeteria…

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Leon tapped his pencil in frustration against a piece of paper, staring at the math figures called 'demented homework' that seemed to be taunting him before quickly scribbling down the answer. His younger brother, Zexion, was next to him, reading a book that he wasn't exactly sure about since there wasn't a title on it. They sat next to each other, sharing their packed lunch in the far end of the cafeteria. It was the first week back into high school, third year for Leon and second for Zexion, and everything seemed the same as it was before summer break. Familiar faces were in the large area, chattering and eating away, while others like themselves, had settled back into their old route. Cheerleaders hung out at one table, the jocks close by, flirting their way over while gangs sat at the different end of the room and others as well.

But everyone in the school knew the Leonharts. They were loners to almost everyone but each other and were one of the few smartest kids in the building. Everyone wanted to copy off of them for homework and tests alike but no one had the guts to actually do it.

Leon was known for his aloofness and by the scar that ran across his forehead. Everyone recognized him for that mark. He had shoulder-length brown hair that framed the top of his head with long bangs and stormy grey eyes that had a little bit of blue mixed in. Another feature he was known for was his 'glare of doom', it was strong enough to send most people running and ducking into hiding.

Zexion, on the other hand, was just plain silent. His lavender-colored hair covered most of his face except for his left eye that peeked from underneath. The color of his eye was a light blue that matched his hair as it didn't seem to pop from behind the bangs. His glares, however, were colder and sometimes were worst than his older brother's as his meant he was tearing apart anyone that got in his way by just looking.

People would sometimes stare at their direction, whispering something at each other, but the two have learned long ago to just ignore it and it wasn't hard to. The noise the in the cafeteria was enough to drown it out.

Leon glanced over to his little brother when he noticed Zexion shivering at the coldness of the area even though there were a ton of bodies all around. He pulled off his favorite jacket that had a fake fur ruff at the top and wrapped it around the other's shoulders. The younger brother blinked at the gesture, nodded as thanks, and went back to his book, deep in the pages. Zexion shifted a little at the warmth and moved around to secure it around his cold body. He cursed the air conditioner for getting broken again, the third time this week. He had even been prepared for today with a long-sleeve shirt but it wasn't enough. Leon ran a hand though his hair and went back to his homework, wanting to finish it up before he had to go home.

"Hey, guys!" A boy sat down at their table, shaking his head at the sight of the two. Silver hair twirled at the movement and green eyes glanced between them with a smile on his face. He was in the same grade as Leon, though, he was younger due to the fact that he had skipped a grade. Zexion was the same, he was really a 9th grader in a 10th grade class, but Riku was a 10th in an 11th grade class. "Man, I wish I had an older brother that would do that to me, but no, I had to get a douche bag."

Zexion glanced up so did Leon. The brunet sighed at the remark. "Well, Riku, you have three cousins, surely one will be on your side, and Sephiroth would probably save you if anything happened anyway."

"Are you kidding me? Sephiroth? Coming to save me? The day that happens is the day you stand on top of this table and start singing about sunshine to everyone." Riku snorted, stating it sarcastically and grumbled for a few minutes afterwards. Soon after, he leaned to the side and started snickering at the thought he had about Leon. "As amusing as that would be, it'd be pretty scary. And anyway, my cousins are always together as a tight bunch, there's no way I can get involved. They don't even come to this school."

"That's true…" Leon nodded, heading back to work.

Riku bit into his food, wincing at it before continuing, he was hungry, anything would do right now. His eyes glanced over to the table four feet away and eyed one of the brunets that were sitting there, smiling and talking happily. His eyes stayed trained on the other for a few moments, momentarily forgetting about eating.

Zexion detected the pause and raised an eyebrow when he saw who Riku was staring at. "Why don't you ask Sora out for a date? We all know that you've been pinning for him ever since he arrived to this school."

"As if." Riku sighed, tearing his gaze away. "If I could I would have done so a long time ago but no one tries to date the Stife brothers especially Sora with his two brothers looming over him."

"Maybe you should try and win the brothers over instead before going after him." A new voice cut in from behind. It was a person with bright red hair that was spiked upward in multiple directions. He plopped down in front of Leon and next to Riku. His green eyes were smirking and the green upside down triangles lifted upward at the face movement. "I mean, you have a good reputation, good grades, even got into a good college this early. You're the perfect candidate for anyone, even the Stife brothers. Actually, the Leonharts are good for anyone of them too."

The brothers looked up at that.

"Axel, shut up." Riku sighed, pushing his food to the side in disgust. It was a waste of three dollars and quietly sipped on his coke to get rid of the taste. "I have no problems in getting along with anyone or them importantly, it's just my brother. It's either you love him or hate him and you know the Stife and Genova family line are arch-enemies. Especially Cloud and my bother, they hate each other to the point of actually killing, who knows what will happen to me if I try anything. I bet they'll say that I'm just as corrupted as _him_ or something."

The red head shook his head, knowing it was true. He leaned forward, throwing his text books onto the table without care. His spiky red hair made him the center of attention of all eyes everywhere he went, he wasn't hard to miss in the first place. He waved a skinny hand to his friends across. "Well, wake me up when the bell rings. I'm going to catch some extra Z's." Axel snuggled into his make shift pillow of his arms, forgetting all about the conversation.

Leon blinked, packing up his materials after finishing his remaining homework that had been given in his morning classes. His stormy grey eyes turned to the table Riku had been once staring at, curious about this Sora person. He examined the teen, finding the boy far too innocent for his own good, and then traveled over the rest of the group. There were the twin siblings Kairi and Namine, then Tifa, Aerith, Zack and even the cousin of the Stifes, Demyx. Eventually his eyes rested on the oldest sibling, Cloud, but he shook his head and turned away soon after, going back to his brother. It was a table for the populars, the people most well known among the school and the ones that everyone wanted to join or go out with.

They were the opposite of them.

Now his group wasn't the least well known but they weren't popular. They were more of a group of nobodies, people that others know about and depended on but didn't bother getting any closer than classmates. Axel was known for his troublemaking, his red hair, and for being a large pyromaniac. Everyone loved his antics, his pranks, all teachers knew about him but the only best friends he had was Riku and the Leonharts. People may love him but they didn't want to be categorized in the same way as him.

Riku was popular to draw girls, teachers, and sometimes boys too to his side. He had the beauty and the brains, everything, but it was his family that gave him a bad fate. Sephiroth, a senior, was known for his insane tendencies and his cousins, who pulled pranks that weren't even normal and tended to go too far, sometimes sending a person to the hospital. Because of that, no one wanted to get on his bad side and no one wanted to get too close.

They were nothing but a group of outsiders.

Riku glanced over to his best friend. "You know if you don't eat, you'll only get skinner. And you're already a twig. You'll put all the girls who are trying to get that size to shame."

"Oh shut up…" Axel growled from underneath the mass of arms and clothes. He pulled his head up slightly to glare. "What about you, pretty boy? Your beauty puts the girls to shame as well. Are you sure you're a guy?"

"Are you sure you two aren't a married couple?" Zexion retorted, glaring at the two to keep it down, he was _trying_ to read.

The friends snapped, gapping at the bookworm.

Then the bell rang.

"Hey, that was low, Zex!" Axel cried. "Real low."

People jumped, gathering their things together, saying goodbye to friends before heading off. Leftover lunches were thrown away into the trashcans, though, some didn't care and left it on the table to be cleaned up. Leon stood, picking up his backpack, knowing that it was time to head to class. "Yet, it's true."

"Hey!"

The brunet waited for his brother to catch up, leaving the two behind without any thought. They caught up, sharing a look and shrugged their shoulders. Their classmates were crowding the hallways, blocking people's paths and the four had to squeeze their way through to get into wider areas.

"Well back to hell known as class." Axel retorted, his backpack hanging off one shoulder. "With the wicked teacher, Xemnas. Right, Zex!" He tossed an arm around Zexion's shoulder and pulled him in closer. It happened that the younger Leonhart and Axel were in the same grade. "I swear I'm going to get the guy back one day, just you wait and see. Have any ideas?"

Zexion stiffened at the touch and wiggle himself out of the grip. "Don't put me into one of your schemes. Ask Riku, he'll be more than happy to give you a few."

"I know, I know but it's more fun this way. And yours are always foolproof. I've seen one from you before. You're the ones that broke that couple, Vexen and Marluxiz apart, right? I don't know how you did it or why but you did a miracle."

Riku caught wind of the conversation as they passed through the hallways. It was crowded with people, everyone was bumping into one another constantly. The students were chattering, not bothering in glancing at their way. "Wasn't Vexen a competitor in grades with you? Didn't he pull that fake 'new discovery' thing and tried to embarrass you in the middle of class?"

Leon nodded, remembering that time and to respond to his brother's silence.

"Holy shit, man! I definitely want you on my, no, our side!" Riku corrected himself when he looked at Axel in agreement. "I mean, yours would be the best this school has ever seen!"

The silver-haired teen was walking backwards, right in front of his little group when something or someone turned the corner and slammed into him. There were two cries and then the scattering of book and papers. The Leonharts and Axel raised an eyebrow at the scene and then turned to the group that Riku had crashed into. It was the Stife group. Some people stopped to stare then went on while others threw them a look. Teachers that were nearby didn't bother to come over and help, talking to others about certain students and grades.

"Roxas, are you okay?"

Sora Stife was the first to move, rushing forward, going to his brother's side, who was rubbing the top of his head.

"Ow…" Riku massaged the back of his own, one eye closed at the pain. Axel came forward with a grin, bending over to outstretch a hand and lifted his friend up to his feet. The silver-haired teen turned to the person he had bumped into to apologize but stopped. He instantly noticed the glare from the older sibling since Cloud had recognized him as a Genova sibling. Riku kept his calm and put on his innocent face. "Ah, sorry about that." He kneeled down, helping in lifting up his books and backpack. Axel helped with gathering Roxas' stuff and stepped closer to the blond-hair teen that was still on the ground.

"Here." He outstretched the stuff, watching as the twins stood up together. Roxas huffed and grabbed his things, keeping a fair distance from the two.

"Thanks…" The shorter student tilted his head when he managed to get a good look at the person in front. He stared at the red hair at first then to the green tattoos below the striking eyes. Roxas narrowed his own at them. "Don't you look like a clown."

Axel blinked then laughed out loud at the response. He didn't care if it was an insult, he just found it funny that someone actually had the _guts_ to say that to his face. "A clown? No, more of a trouble maker that likes to piss off the entire school and teachers." He waved his hand in reply with a wide grin on his lips. His eyes were twinkling in mischief. "Anyway, the name's Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?" He pointed a finger to his head and leaned forward, enough to get in Roxas' face. The shorter teen went back in return not comfortable with Axel so close.

"Must you use that ridiculous catch phrase?" Riku sneered. "It's so stupid. What am I saying, someone in this group has to be overly done in that way."

"Hey! I can tell an insult when I hear one!" Axel turned to the other, hands on his hips.

"Didn't think you were smart enough to _know_ one."

Leon shook his head, reaching out towards Zexion with his hand. His brother handed over the book he had been reading without question and closed his eyes at the headache he was getting from the two. The brunet stepped forward to the arguing duo and handled the book with care, trying to find the right grip. With two swift movements, he slammed the rim on both heads at the top, hard, and it instantly silenced them. They kneeled down, cradling their head between their legs and groaned softly, rubbing the spot.

"Enough, you two. The warning bell has just rung. Its time to go." Leon tossed the book back and Zexion caught it easily in mid-air. They were used to such antics and knew the perfect way to deal with it. After all, it happened all the time. "Come on."

"Alright, alright." Axel stood up, hands on his knees as he did so. "Man, you hit hard."

"What do you expect? It's Squall-no-my-name-is-Leon-damnit Leonhart!" Riku grinned and it only got wider when the said person turned to glare. Shivers went down people's spine, those who happened to be around, even the Stife brothers had felt something at that look but Riku remained unaffected. He just waved it off without any thought. "Well off to Chem."

"Well, I've got 'Intro to Anthropology' but all Xemnas talks about is the darkness in one's heart. The man's crazy and probably has at least twenty bolts loose in his head."

"That's true. But Axel, sometime this year, we _have_ to blow up the chemistry teacher during a lab. I can't wait to see Professor Xigbar's face afterwards!" Riku ran up to Zexion, trying but failing to put an arm around the shorter teen's shoulders. "Zex, you seriously _have_ to help us on that."

"No."

"Don't coax my brother into something like that."

The Stife group that had been left forgotten watched the exchange in interest. Roxas raised an eyebrow and turned to Sora, who had the look of confusion, not really sure at what they were saying. Leon noticed the stares and nodded towards all of them as if saying 'goodbye' before pushing and shoving the bickering friends off. His eyes lingered on Cloud for a moment then moved on when Riku decided to throw a light punch Axel's way. Leon really felt like he was babysitting children instead of fifteen to sixteen year olds.

"They're an odd bunch…" Sora stated. "But they look like fun."

"Yeah but I still say that that Axel guy is a clown." Roxas huffed, keeping his eyes on the red hair. "Even for a moment, I had forgotten that that Riku guy was a Genova. They seemed so buddy-buddy." He turned to his siblings then rested his eyes on Demyx. He gave a smirk tauntingly, knowing his cousin's secrets well. "And there goes your crush, Demy."

The blonde with hair styled as a Mohawk turned his green eyes to the youngest twin. He had a bright blush on his cheeks and twitched his fingers, looking around to see if anyone had heard. "W-What are you talking about? I don't have a crush!" He gazed back at the younger Leonhart brother, Zexion, and felt his cheeks growing warmer. He just wanted to get near the teen, it had been his dream for a long time, ever since that time…

"Are you having…some impure thoughts about Zexion Leonhart?" Roxas cooed. "Just imagine the older brother coming after you. I've heard that if anyone tries anything to a friend of his, like that last freshmen that didn't quite get the hint when he was trying to win Riku over, they'll be crushed." He smacked his fists together to empathize his point and made Demyx jump with a loud squeak. "The poor guy wasn't seen for the next couple of months, I think he came out with plenty of broken bones and a major concussion. The guy was muttering about rainbows and daises for a while."

Demyx instantly paled, fidgeting in his place. He could already image the horror of the older brother finding out and the glare coming his way. He turned to his older cousin, Cloud, with pleading eyes and tried to give the puppy dog face. "Cloud, can't you take Leon out for a while? I don't want to die!"

"Huh?!" Cloud snapped out of his daze, his bright blue eyes blinking in shock. "What are you talking about? I don't even _want_ to go out with Leon."

"Well, can you at least draw him away for a while? I can't go to Zexion if he's there. I don't want to get beaten or worse killed!" Demyx reached forward to grasp the black sweater shirt in front. "Please! You're the only one in his grade." He tried to use his old trick in convincing Cloud, the watery eyes.

Cloud grumbled, pulling himself away, not bothering in answering. "Come on, let's go to class. We'll be late."

"Fine, fine." Demyx slumped his shoulders and ran off. The twins were next and then Cloud. The spiky blonde-haired teen glanced in the direction of the Leonhart group and chuckled. This was defiantly going to be interesting.

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Alright, here is the poll description.

I want you guys to decide which couple is to get together first in this story, and the next one, etc. This will change the entire story since I'll be writing it along the way, depending on who gets chosen. There are only four pairings - Cleon, Soriku, AkuRoku, Zemyx, chose from this list. During this time, it will only be for the first couple, the next post will be for the second and I will not take into account any for the second couple until in the next chapter since it's possible that your first one might not get chosen depending on the number of votes and you'll probably want to try again with that same one. I'm trying to be fair with everyone. And if there are any ties on two pairings, I will either let it continue to see which one will win or ask my friend to decide since I don't want to have any part in the processing except for counting.

The poll is to be stated in the reviews or PMs since I can't really figure out how to do the poll on my bio page yet but I'll get it up sometime.

Also, it ends the moment the second chapter is up but please continue to review even afterwards so that it can be taken into account for the next one on the second couple that will get together next but that is only _after_ the second posting. Any questions, message me.

So please vote. Thanks.


	2. Ridge

**Title: Soaring**

**By: Metamorcy**

**Rating**: M

**Pairing**: Leon/Cloud, Riku/Sora, Axel/Roxas, Demyx/Zexion

**Disclaimer**: don't own

**Summary**: High school was supposed to be normal but that was until the Stife and Leonhart group meet… Cleon, Soriku, AkuRoku, Zemyx AU

Thanks for all those that reviewed and cast a vote, here is the result.

CloudXLeon - 2

ZexionXDemyx - 3

AxelXRoxas - 2

SoraXRiku - 1

The winner for the first couple is…

Dum dum dum…

**Zemyx!**

Now it's time for the second couple to be voted on! Please vote in the reviews so I can keep count. And thanks again, I'm giving you all imagery cookies. Choose any type you want!

I don't want to go into the couples setting until later since I want all four to be chosen so give me a while to get everything set up. I'm currently changing all my plans to center around Zexion and Demyx but I will still go to other groups along the way. Right now, a little bit of history of one of our characters. Enjoy!

I don't have a beta so if there's anyone interested, please message me.

Also, I should update close to the weekend, either Friday or Saturaday! So keep watch!

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Chapter 2: Ridge

"Hey…"

Leon's eyes snapped open, instantly turning his head towards the voice in the distance. Sweat dripped down his cheeks and his fists were bleeding and throbbing but the pain never reached his mind. He was more concerned about the newcomer, he didn't know if the person would bring him more trouble or something else. He took a deep breath and let his eyes examine over the scrawny teen that was holding a bag that carried…what…Leon wasn't sure what was inside. The brunet looked around him to make sure that this wasn't a trick or another sneak attack. None, no one else was around. He straightened his body, standing tall and firm, his feet were slightly apart from each other for a quick response. A hand ran through his shaggy brown locks, pushing the sweat-socked hair back to see better but it just fell into its original position. He ran a tongue over his split lip, not even wincing as a sharp pain echoed though his body. Leon cold taste the copper flavor and swallowed. Around him were only wrecked bodies, beaten half to death by him. Some had broken limbs, other's bleeding from the mouth and nose, and all had bruises that would obviously show up later on. Leon, on the other hand, only had a slit lip and bleeding hands to show in response. His blazing eyes glared at the person, a boy, in front, daring him to come and attack him.

The boy stepped closer, cautious, but there was an air around him that seemed to calm Leon's racing heart. Bright green eyes looked over the teen then to the group of people that were groaning in hurt or were unconscious. His shadow danced on the ground, going over the bodies, the sun on his back. He was dressed in elegant clothes, obviously rich, and wasn't scared to show it. "Wow, you sure did them in. I'm impressed."

"Are you here to fight as well?" Leon snarled, squeezing his fists shut, getting ready just incase.

The other shook his head, his hair fluttering at the movement. "No." He gave an amusing smile and leaned over. "I thought you might need some help seeing as you were outnumbered one to…" The teen quickly counted the bodies, his eyes looking all around. "Twenty-six." He whistled at the large number. It was obvious that the brunet was used to this sort of thing or he wouldn't have gotten this good. But he had never seen someone _this_ good. It also seemed like Leon was undefeatable like a boss in a game that had an instant death move but the brunet was different, he wasn't a boss, he was just a normal person defending himself. But what had caused these people to go after him of all people?

"There's no need for you. Go…" Leon turned around, stepping away and brushed off some dirt that had managed to get on him. He grimaced slightly when his hands went over the rough fabric of his clothes but hide it well, however, the other person managed to catch it.

"I can see that but I still want to offer some sort of help. It's not right if I don't do anything and I'd _probably_ feel guilty if I let you go away without some medical supplies." The other teen came closer, pulling up the see-through bag with some items. He jiggled it to make his point. "Take it. You need it more than I do."

Leon paused in his steps, blinking his eyes curiously. He raised an eyebrow at the bag. "Probably?"

"Hey…Don't question my reasons. I just felt like it. Now take it and I'm not going to take a 'no' for an answer." The teen, younger than Leon, pushed the items into the brunet's hands, who just looked down at it. There were so many medical supplies that it basically covered anything and everything from cuts to blisters to headaches. But Leon also noted that this stuff was expensive.

"What's your name?" Leon asked, wondering as to who would actually help _him_. There weren't many that would try to talk to him, not even in school. Everyone that did just wanted to screw his life over and make it into a bloody fucking mess. Everyone didn't like him for being so abnormal and for being so odd in the groups of people at school so they picked on him. It was to make their point, to make themselves feel superior to someone that had nothing. That was all. However, the fights became increasingly frequent and intense. More people were catching on and more joined the fight to see when the teen would fall. So Leon fought to the bitter end, no longer caring what he did to his opponents, not caring if he nearly killed them every time, as long as he went on. But this one was different, different than all the others. This person had sparked his interest which was unusual. Never had he been this fascinated before, not even in the subjects at school.

"Riku. Riku Genova. You?" The green eyes smiled, the rosy lips twitching upward.

"…Leon Leonhart."

"You're pretty good at fighting…How'd you get so good, anyway?"

"I just am. I've been fighting since I was eight and have learned a few things on the streets." There was a pause on Leon's side when he noticed just how easily it was to say that. He was _far_ to used to fighting for his life, for everything, and he _had_ to get strong if he wanted to survive. No, he had to survive…for his brother's sake. He wouldn't let Zexion get abandoned and he won't allow his brother suffer either.

Riku tilted his head, the silver locks falling to the side. "And how old are you now?"

Leon scoffed, looking over the items then to his hands that were still bleeding but not as bad as before. He had no reason to refuse the items and he couldn't return home looking like he did or his brother, Zexion, would worry. "Fourteen." Six years he had been fighting, he sighed at the thought. And everyday was the same, wake up, fight, go to school, fight, leave school, fight, return home, and then to wake up again to restart the process. He no longer allowed himself to wear anything nice since it usually came back torn and dirty and he spent little time at home until he was sure that he could get in without Zexion seeing him. Leon didn't want to see that sad look into the blue eye. He didn't want to see it.

"Same age as me…" The silver-haired teen perked his head up when he heard numerous footsteps coming their way. He listened in on them for a moment then growled. His green eyes turned to Leon and walked closer, noticing the brunet stiffen, before holding out his hand. "Look I live nearby, you can hide there until things have cooled down."

"Why?" Leon narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Because I want to and I'm selfish." Riku smirked, taking Leon's hand forcefully, dragging him off without much resistance. He smiled as he looked back and noticed the confusion in the stormy eyes. Behind them, after a few moments of running, were shouts and screams in the area they had left. Leon glanced behind for a second before rotating back to Riku, who had also looked. "Don't worry, I won't sell you out."

Leon blinked and just followed, his left hand holding the bag tightly. He sighed, shaking his head. "Alright…and thanks."

Riku didn't reply and just chuckled quietly.

* * *

Squall "Leon" Leonhart knew about many things that went around him and some that he wasn't too sure about. But even with all that, he kept a firm watch on all those that were close to him, friends and family alike. He had to protect them, mostly his little brother, who was dependent on him even though Zexion wouldn't want to admit it. It was his duty and one he liked. Now he wasn't too overprotective since he didn't care much for what Zexion did in his spare time or what Riku and Axel got in trouble for, he just didn't want any harm to come their way like those bastard bullies that once harassed him when he was younger. He won't let anyone touch those that are close to him. It didn't matter who, he'd take them down. That is the way he is, a fighter to the end.

At home, things was the same yet different. Leon was the one that handled everything in the house. He used the money their father sent to them regularly to pay for the bills, groceries, and anything else that was necessary then saved the rest for later or for other items that might have to be added on his never ending list. His father, Lagura, was a good man and he knew that, both brothers did. But he was never home, traveling around the world to earn enough for his sons to live peacefully. Leon respected that and kept quiet about their little situation, so did Zexion, in case the authorities wanted to make it a big deal about it. However, eventually, the secret had to get out to Riku and Axel since they were the only ones that bothered with the Leonharts and came over quite often, mostly uninvited, especially at dinner and sometimes the weekend. They were there for the food. However, the two friends didn't care. Riku had waved it off, stating that it was none of his business and knew that they could take care of themselves. He never brought it up again and remained as if nothing had happened. And Axel was close in the same situation as them but that is a story that will be told later on. The red head just gave that mischievous beam and went off to stuffing his face with food, completely ignoring the fact that the two under-aged brothers had been left alone for years.

Their mother, on the other hand, had passed away long ago. Leon couldn't even remember what she looked like or her name since the last time he had saw her in person was twelve years ago (he's seventeen right now). He never bothered asking about her as it only brought pain into his father's eyes and there were no pictures either. They had all been thrown away. On that fateful day, Zexion had only been three at that time, his hand was intertwined together with Leon's as they watched her leave into the airplane, waving and smiling happily. It was just another trip she had to make, just another one that happened three times a month. It wasn't until they arrived home that they learned the truth just a few hours after the flight. The plane had crashed. They watched the recording of it on TV as some person had managed to catch it as it flew out of the sky, smoke surrounding it. They saw the plane coming down and then explode upon contact on the ground, parts of the machine scattering into the air. She died in the burning flames. Leon had somehow managed to make some sense about what had happened when he never saw her again nor her body when an empty coffin was lowered into the ground with his father crying out beside him. Zexion, at that time, didn't know what was going on and cried out for a mother that wasn't coming back. Leon had done his best to explain but even he didn't know what exactly was going on, he was after all only five. When he was eight, he researched what had happened to the plane after going through some lessons at school about how to use a computer. He had found out that a bird had gotten caught in the left engine, shutting it down and plunging the airplane to its death.

His outlook on life hardened afterwards.

It was during that time after the accident that the brothers began to retreat from people and the outside world and instead depend on each other. Lagura, who had been crushed by the death of his wife, tried to put a positive expression on at every living second but without the extra cash they had gotten from his wife's job, he had to leave and search for a new job to earn more money for the sake of the family. This action left the brothers alone to fend for themselves and only resorted in pushing further away, that was when Leon was ten, Zexion eight. Their father was rarely home except for holidays and sometimes birthdays but he always sent postcards, multiple of them, from wherever he went, explaining things and wondering others.

But as Leon watched over his little group of friends, he couldn't help but smile inside. It was nice to feel welcomed and needed even if it meant more work for him. He sighed as he watched Riku and Axel snarl at each other again at the cafeteria table, attracting looks from students and teachers alike, and reached over to get a book from Zexion for a weapon. The younger brother glanced at him and tilted his head at the strange look on his brother's face. Leon made a half-smile before shifting over to slam the hard end of the book on his friends' heads.

He chuckled silently at their pain.

Everything was okay right now and he hoped that it never changed.

* * *

Just some insider information on Leon/Squall. I'll be doing that for each character every other chapter. I didn't want to start on the story line yet like I said before since I need to know who the third and fourth pairing is. So please review and vote for me! There's only three pairings left, take your picking for the second couple!


	3. Thermal

**Title: Soaring**

**By: Metamorcy**

**Rating**: M

**Pairing**: Leon/Cloud, Riku/Sora, Axel/Roxas, Demyx/Zexion

**Disclaimer**: don't own

**Summary**: Everyone believes that high school is supposed to be normal but that was until the Stife and Leonhart group meet and destroyed that … Cleon, Soriku, AkuRoku, Zemyx AU

Thanks for all those that reviewed and cast a vote, here is the result.

CloudXLeon - 3

AxelXRoxas - 2

SoraXRiku - 0

The winner for the second couple is…

Dum dum dum…

**CloudXLeon**

Thanks for all those that have reviewed and casted a vote. I'm very happy though it's kinda sad to see that Riku and Sora didn't get any. Well now its time for the final votes, for the 3rd couple! Please choose between AxelXRoxas and SoraXRiku.

I don't have a beta so if there's anyone interested, please message me.

Ah! I would have posted this earlier but my main computer crashed because of some stupid virus. But I managed to get everything together. Always keep backup copies so I'm actually happy about. Well anyway, here is the 3rd chapter. Also this one is longer so be happy.

**Important Arthur's Note!** I've added a part in chapter 1, it's really small and doesn't change the story but I thought it'd be nice to put it. A little futuristic view of what will happen, so if you get the chance please read it. It's only at the top!

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Chapter 3: Thermal

Demyx grumbled, looking around the stores in the mall, trying to kill time. He had been abandoned here by his family while they went else where and eventually home without him. However, there was one little tinny-weenie problem with that, he was abandoned here _all_ alone. And for a couple more hours too until they finally decide to at last pick him up from this horrible place. The blond sighed loudly, bored out of his mind, and wandered through the crowd and couldn't help notice some couples that were making out in the back sections where there were no cameras or where there were few people that could see. But he could and he could hear it quite loudly. At one point, when he needed to go, multiple sounds were coming from the men's bathroom and he knew that they weren't someone peeing. Demyx didn't even dare go in afraid that he may be scared for life especially when there was a scream from within. When he got desperate enough from boredom, he went to the only bookstore in the building and sat down for a couple of hours to read manga and tried not to laugh at the jokes that were made or scream when he came upon a scary scene. But after a while, people started to stare at him anyway as if he was some weirdo since he was making all sorts of expressions. Demyx just laughed nervously to himself and buried his nose deeper into the book, hoping that the eyes would go away.

More time passed and five mangas later, he was done. He was happy that he had accomplished his reading for the day and was quite proud of it. Just wait till he tells too!

Demyx left the store and went back to wandering around aimlessly in the mall. He visited clothes stores, trying on garments and anything that looked fashionable. However, everything he tried on was overly expensive and some just looked plain stupid. He had to question why some girls would wear earrings that were bigger than one's head seeing as they were hanging in front of every store. Curious, he held one up to weight it.

Eventually, he left that store and went to Gamestop, taking a hand at some of the games they had on display inside. He tried to kick some serious ass on a fighting one but instead he got his wiped by a six-year old that had bad acne. Frustrated, he stomped out, tempted to give the kid the finger, and turned around to glare as a substitute. He didn't notice where he was going until it was too late.

"Hey, watch it!"

Demyx was pushed to the side by a pair of strong hands. He had accidently crashed into someone, heard a splash, before getting shoved aside like a sack. Collasping to the ground, he hit his knees into the tiles first and then bended over with his right hand taking the blunt of the force as he landed. There was a piercing sting but he ignored it. He shook his head to get his bearings together and looked for the person he had hit. His sea-green eyes widened upon site and fear rushed into his body as he tried to suppress a shudder. 'Seifer! Oh no…'

He looked over the biggest bully in the school that was known for his violent temper. Demyx whimpered quietly to himself when he noticed that the bully was covered in blue slush drink that had been knocked over. The color stained the once clean white coat and the older teen didn't look too happy about that. No, he was _pissed_. His two buddies were right behind him, staring in shock. The smallest one was a girl with blue hair and the other was a teenager that was much taller than the two and had large muscles.

Demyx swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. "S-Sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Seifer's eyes turned to him and suddenly Demyx felt really small. He felt like he was shrinking under the pressure and backed away while still on the floor. "Sorry? Sorry!! You think a 'sorry' is going to fix this!" He empathize his point by flapping his blue-spotted coat with his gloved fingers fisting up as they pointed to it. A vein was throbbing on his head, obvious he was angry.

"I can pay for it!" Demyx winced, standing up and looked tremendously frightened. People in the area stopped to watch since it was the largest place in the building, the food court. Some of the employees paused in their work to see what was gathering a crowd and whispered to those in the back area to come out and watch.

"Oh, you'll be paying for it alright…with your money and blood!" Seifer raised his fist back, ready to strike. Demyx let out a cry, ducking down and placed his arms in front of his face to protect himself. He had heard how badly some people had gotten beaten up and how some were even sent to the hospital for the seriousness of their wounds. Demyx just really _really_ hoped and prayed in his heart that this wouldn't last too long.

Then he waited for it, bracing for it, the pain, but after a few moments, it never came. There was a grunt on the other side and a couple of gasps as well as some shuffling. Demyx opened up one eye to see what was happening and gaped with the rest of the crowd.

"Seifer, you're going too far…"

The mullet-haired teen straightened himself up, staring at his savior. He couldn't believe it. For a moment, he thought that it had to be someone else. It couldn't be _him_, him of all people. But those gray-blue eyes that were cold and emotionless and the familiar scar the adored the forehead, quickly made him believe.

Leon Leonhart had come.

The brunet had his arms around Seifer's own, holding him back and glanced to Demyx with a sharp eye. He gave a firm nod his way and went back to the struggling blond in his arms. "He already said he'll pay for it. That should be good enough, it was just an accident."

"Fuck you, Leonhart!" Seifer screamed. His two lackeys tried to help but a strong glare from Leon that meant doom if they tried anything kept them from going forward. The older blond managed to wiggle himself free and turned around to land a punch. He succeeded and made Leon go back a few feet in return. The brunet kept his calm and shook his head to get rid of the feeling on his face. To the crowd and everyone else, he didn't seem effected by the punch.

Leon's position shifted at that one attack though, getting a little serious, and spent no time in running back, return the gift with twice as much strength. His fist landed on Seifer's face faster than anyone could see and heard a faint snap that echoed in the now silent area. Demyx watched in awe even as the bully fell to the ground, skidding across the tiled floor. The unconscious body stopped at his lackeys' feet and they rushed forward to stand in front to protect him. But they had a nervous look in their eyes, staring at the brunet. Leon huffed, flicking his hand as if nothing had happened and turned to the other. His tall frame overshadowed Demyx and the dark dimness that covered his eyes made the blond almost cower in fear. Leon was really a scary guy. "Come on, let's go."

The brunet forcefully grabbed a limp hand and ran off, dragging Demyx along, who hadn't protested yet nor realized what had happened. The crowd widened to let the two through and they went outside to escape the fuss. They could hear the sounds of people shouting, probably the security that had finally decided to show up at long last. But the people, who were at the counters watching, went back to work. It had been a nice break for them. The high school students kept running through the parking lot, getting away from the building as much as possible and only slowed down when they lost themselves into the mass of cars. Leon reduced the speed in his steps and finally halted, rotating to the other. "You aright?"

"Huh? Oh yeah!" Demyx tried to smile, snapping out of his daze. His mind still couldn't wrap around what had happened. It was just that unbelievable. He waved his right hand to show that he was awake and that this wasn't a dream but then winced at an abrupt throb. He squeezed one eye closed and hissed. "Oww…"

Leon caught the pained expression and reached out. "Let me see it."

The blond hesitated but did as he was told. The other looked over the hand carefully, his fingers running over the skin with care. Though Leon had his gloves on, Demyx could still feel the heat underneath.

"It'll be a little bruised later on but it's just a sprain. Here, let's go to my house, I have some bandages there that can ease the bending a little."

"H-Huh?" Demyx halted in his steps, mouth gaping open once more. Just what the hell had happened? Did he just get asked to go to an enemies' house? After all, the war between the Genova and Stife family expended to the Leonharts since they were friends with one. That and his poor brain was still trying to process this meeting between them. It was official, his brain has shut down.

Leon paused when he saw the face staring back. "Does that make you uncomfortable? If you'd like I can bring you home instead."

Demyx willed his mind to start working and shook his head, smiling brightly enough to make Leon blink at the shine. This was his best opportunity, if he could win over the eldest brother, he could get in a good word to Zexion and his dream of becoming friends would come true. His pursuit for love would have to wait later until afterwards. He didn't care what his family would say after this, he just didn't want to let this once in a life time chance to get away. "No! I'd love to come over!"

"Okay…" The brunet walked off, motioning the other to follow. He was still eyeing the other strangely but shook his head at the thought. He was the one that offered. The car wasn't hard to find especially since it was bright blue and happened to be the only one within a couple feet.

"Nice car!" Demyx smiled as he opened the door to hop in once it had been unlocked by remote control.

"It's my Dad's." Leon turned the engine on and pulled out quickly, shifting gears and headed off. His gray eyes glanced at the passenger, making sure that the seatbelt was on. He didn't want a ticket after all, but as he looked, he noticed that Demyx was rubbing his sprained hand softly. "Does your hand still hurt?"

Demyx, who had been daydreaming, snapped out of it. "Huh? Oh no, it's fine. Thanks again." He rested his hand on his lap and gave a smile, placing his attention to the road. Leon made a few quick turns and went into a neighborhood that was close by. Houses passed by so quickly that Demyx didn't have time to memorize that area at all. There were people in the streets, playing and laughing around. It was quite nice and the houses were homely-looking too. They pulled into a single one that was a little further apart from the rest of the other buildings in the area. But the structure itself was normal, just an average house. "So this is where you live…"

Leon didn't respond and turned off the engine, getting out. He went to the front door of his house and waited for a moment for Demyx to catch up while he was going through his keys, trying to find the right now. The door opened slowly and they stepped into the living room. Light from the sun shining on their backs made their shadows lengthen across the room. It was pass five o'clock already and the sun was beginning its decent into the distance. Demyx instantly examined the place, taking down everything and wandered in further. He remembered to take off his shoes with his left hand in respect and continued to drift around. He could see how clean the place was with all the books and papers on the side in order. From his position, his eyes ran over the furniture, the colors of the room, and even the pictures that were on tables or hanging on the wall but there weren't many.

"Zexion, we have a guest." The brunet called up the stairs. There was a little patter above the ceiling and then came down the younger brother, dressed loosely in black baggy pants and a white shirt. The dark blue eyes turned to the visitor with a raised eyebrow but then he spotted the red spot on his brother's cheek and the bruised hand and ruffled jeans on the other.

"Did you get into another fight?" Zexion asked calmly, heading towards the kitchen where the first-aid kit was located. He didn't like seeing his brother hurt but it did bring a question to his mind as to why Demyx of all people was here…

He too knew about the intense hatred the Stife family had against the Leonharts just like everyone else because of the Genovas. It wasn't hard to find out. Still it seemed odd that one would show up in enemies' territory.

"Seifer attacked Demyx at the mall." Leon stated evenly, settling down onto the couch with the blond beside him. Zexion nodded in response, relieved that it hadn't been a jumping, and disappeared into another room. Leon turned to the other, pulling back his gloves before taking off his bomber jacket. His eyes trailed over the sprained hand again, examining it carefully. Reaching over, his fingers ran along the skin. "Move your fingers. Bend them in."

Demyx did as he was told and winced slightly at the movement.

"Well, at least it's not broken."

Zexion came in at that moment, sitting on the table that was in front of the couch and opened the large white box, taking out the needed items. "Any bleeding?"

"No."

The younger brother nodded again and rotated to Demyx, studying him with one eye. "Hand…"

Demyx stared for a second, not yet registering the command and watched the visible blue eye look over him. He mentally slapped himself back into reality and complied, watching the other wrap his wounded hand. He could feel the soft touches on his warm skin and blushed slightly. The blond was squealing on the inside, he was touching his crush! Well, actually the other way around…but that doesn't matter! He was able to feel the hands he so wanted to hold for so long! Another score in his book! Ah, he could see the light! He tried to keep his thoughts from taking over and swallowed when he felt the hand go further up.

Leon blinked, a small smile breaking out on his face at the scene and twisted away, folding his arms. There was no way in hell he was going to let anyone see him smile besides his brother. But oh, he could tell already about something but kept quiet on it. He had known the entire time about the little crush or should he say _large_ crush, it had been obvious to him from day one. There was no one in the school that would give his brother looks like _that_ and it wasn't the make-fun kind or friendship one either. He chuckled silently, watching as Demyx's blush grow and Zexion asking if something was wrong, it was just so obvious. Though he had to wonder why the others (Axel and Riku) hadn't figured it out. Leon, as he observed the two, couldn't help but approve the making of this little couple though he knew that his brother would need a large push to realize it. He wasn't comfortable about letting someone else into the family but this one could be the exception…

Then there were the rest of the Stife family. They were going to be a problem. The family, especially Cloud and Roxas, the most vicious of the brothers, weren't going to approve of this like he already has. Leon snorted; things were going to get troublesome…

Zexion was almost done with the wrapping when the brunet decided to break the silence, standing up from the couch. "I'm going to start cooking dinner. Would you like to stay or should I drive you home?" He rubbed his cheek with a sleeve to massage the pain, it was still tingling.

Demyx blinked then beamed. "Can I really stay?"

"I did offer, right?" Leon nodded.

"I'll stay!"

Zexion blinked and twisted to his brother in question. A little match happened between them in that second as they stared at each other. But Leon won instantly, vanishing to the kitchen to make dinner, leaving two along.

Demyx smiled at the other. "I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? I'm Demyx Stife!" He gave a bright grin, tilting his head to the side. "It's nice to meet you. Oh, and thanks for the bandages too."

"Zexion Leonhart."

"I know who you are. We're been in the same lunch, just two tables away. I've always wanted to talk you guys but I get a little nervous and then there's your friend, Riku…" Demyx spoke, not budging an inch from his spot. He suddenly looked sad and Zexion narrowed his eye at the expression. "I mean, I have nothing against Riku Genova, it's just my cousins that-"

"I get it." The other teen snapped, silencing the blond and stood up. Demyx appeared shock for a moment. "There's no need to talk about something like that. None of us hold it against you. Now, let's head to the kitchen, it'll be easier to talk there." Zexion took a moment to look at the frightened face before sighing to himself and outstretched his hand. He waited for Demyx to take it, who did, before reaching down to grab the first aid-kit box and dragged themselves to the next room. Leon had already started cooking, making something simple pasta with tomato sauce. The brunet glanced at them before going back to work, stirring the sauce into the pan after draining the water. He added a few herbs and veggies and some spices as well, mixing it all together. Zexion pulled out a chair to sit at the table that was at the center, Demyx was on the other side. He had placed the kit to the side and would put it away later after dinner. It was palpable that the kitchen was used quite often since there were plenty of pots and pans and bottles scattered around tidily.

"Umm…" Demyx started then trailed off.

"What's your relation to the Stife brothers? I mean, everyone knows that you're their cousin and that Cloud is the older brother and the twins are the younger ones. But what about you? Why'd you come here?" Zexion stated to ease the tension in the room, he could just feel the awkwardness.

"Oh! Well I'm their cousin from their mother's side. I came here because my parents couldn't support me for school and that this was a better place. I'm two years younger than Cloud and a year older than the twins. I happen to be one of the youngest in the tenth grade because of my birthday excluding you, Zexion, since you skipped a grade. But even with all the age difference, we're all a close bunch but you know, Cloud kinda reminds me of Leon, you know all quiet and everything, but he's not good with the kitchen. He managed to blow up the microwave once, not on purpose though. Sora is the same but Roxas can cook only certain things. I can do some but not as well. Mrs. Stife can't cook either and so we rely on the microwave to make things for us. It's mostly those frozen meals we eat or takeout." Demyx chuckled, smiling at certain memories.

Zexion shared a look with his older brother when he had rotated around to stare. They both had the same thought running through their head. 'He's a talker.'

"Demyx…" The lavender-haired teen spoke, reaching out.

"Huh?"

"Breath…"

Demyx did as he was told and exhaled. "T-Thanks. I forget to do that sometimes when I'm excited."

"Does all the Stifes do that?" Leon asked, his curiosity perked and continued to stir with one hand.

"No, just me and Sora and sometimes . The others are quiet or in Roxas' case, snappy. He gets easily irritated but he's really a good person, though he's really protective of Sora."

"You're doing it again." Zeion stated, tapping Demyx's shoulder.

The blond blushed at the concern. "I'm sorry, I tend to do that a lot." His body slumped at the thought of disturbing the Leonharts and pulled back. His smile faltered but he managed to keep it up.

Zexion sighed. "It's alright, I don't mind you talking but you went a little off task there."

"Oh!" Demyx brightened and it almost put a smile on Zexion's face if he hadn't smashed the feeling. Both Lenoharts were fighting the urge to return the sensations Demyx brought and it was getting though.

"Alright, enough talk for now. It's time to eat." Leon placed two plates down then a third where he was seating and with some forks in front. Napkins were located in the center of the table. "Anything to drink?"

"Just water. Thanks again."

Leon nodded, heading away to open the cabinet, taking out three cups. He already knew what Zexion wanted before asking and went to the refrigerator to gather everything. Demyx instantly started on the food, twirling his fork gently. But once he bit into it, he grinned.

"This is so good! You're really talented!" Demyx swallowed.

Leon nodded his head again.

* * *

"He fell asleep…"

"Yep." Leon folded his arms, staring at the snoozing blond currently on their couch. Dinner had been completed and the two brothers had taken the time to wash the dishes together, leave Demyx to wonder the house, just the bottom floor, not the second. He had offered to help but the two said they didn't need it. Leon looked at his watch for the time. "9:32, he should probably have been home long ago."

Zexion stepped closer, settling down on the couch beside the other and nudged the sleeping bundle a little. "Hey, wake up."

A mumble came from Demyx and he shifted around but didn't wake up.

Zexion tried again a little harder. "Demyx…"

"Zexy…" Demyx muttered, curling up, still sleeping.

"Zexy?" The brothers stared at blond at the same time.

Then Leon spun away, trying not to laugh at the nickname.

"Squall…" Zexion growled, not happy about this development. "This is _not_ funny."

The brunet flicked his brother off by waving his hand and leaned over, patting the blond down. He was looking for something and he hoped that Demyx wasn't sleeping on it or had placed it in an uncomfortable position for him to reach into. When he felt it in the back pocket, he pulled the cell phone out and flipped it open. "I take it he's going to stay here for tonight. I'll call the family to let them know where he's at." He messed with the buttons, trying to find a name he recognized. When he came up to a number called 'home', he clicked the dial button and placed the phone up to his right ear. He listened for the ringing and stepped away from the two on the couch, trying to get a better place to speak openly. Nothing was going to happen while he was gone after all.

The other side clicked. "Hello?" The voice was overly cheery and Leon couldn't help but wince at the sound.

"Hi, can I speak to please?"

"Alright, just one second."

There was some thumping in the background, meaning the holder of the phone was running, and there were voices yelling out. He was able to recognize it as 'Mom'.

"Hello?" A female voice came through and Leon opened his eyes since he had closed them during the commotion.

"Ah yes, my name is Leon Leonhart. Demyx is currently with me at my house, he's actually fast asleep on my couch and doesn't seem to be waking up anytime soon."

Then there was a loud cry. "Hey!"

Leon paused for a second to look at his brother, thinking that something bad had happened. But instead, he found something else. He had to suppress a laugh that was making its way up his throat.

Apparently, Demyx had moved in his sleep, dreaming about whatever, and decided that he needed a pillow. Too bad Zexion was the closest thing. And because of that, his arms were wrapped tightly around the waist, pulling Zexion down onto the couch with him.

Leon tried to continue the conversation with his same monotone voice, however, it was getting increasingly hard to once Zexion started to struggle within the grasp. "I'll be bringing him back in the morning. Is that alright with you?"

"Umm…" The woman hummed to herself. "'Leonhart' you said. One moment."

Though the phone was pulled away, he could still hear the words being spoken on the other side.

"Hey, do any of you know who the Leonharts are?"

"Oh, them. Yeah but not much, they tend to keep to themselves."

"They're friends with Riku Genova."

Leon groaned to himself at that mentioning. The Stifes must really hate the Genova family if they held that much venom in their voice but it was nothing knew. Fans of the Stife would always glare at any Genova or Genova fan and visa versa and it got annoying and fast.

"Why are you asking anyway?"

"Well, Demyx is at their house and fell asleep on their couch."

"That idiot…"

"I can't believe it."

"Well, I don't think the Leonharts have never caused us any trouble before so I see no problems." Leon recognized that cheery voice from before and decided that it had to be Sora, the only male Stife that could be like that.

"Are you crazy?! What happens if Demyx gets raped?!" The brunet scoffed at the accusing, like hell that was going to happen.

"Sora, this is our cousin we're talking about. He's in the hands of complete strangers. Who knows what will happen."

Leon had enough and tuned out the rest of the conversation as the family argued with each other and placed the phone on speaker before heading over to Zexion to help. The younger brother had maneuvered himself around so that Demyx was now rubbing into his stomach then his previous spot at the chest. Zexion had his hands in the blond locks, desperately trying to get the other away. A dark blush was spreading across Zexion's face when Demyx nudged further into his stomach, muttering about something. The red looked unusual on the pale skin since it was so visible.

"Need help?" Leon offered, watching with interest. It wasn't everyday he got to see something _this_ amusing. He wished he had a camera to record this.

The lavender-haired teen glared. "I hate you so much right now."

"Whatever." He leaned over, trying to pry the hands apart but at each pull, Demyx strengthened his grip. "Let go already."

A grumble came from the mass. "No…my pillow…"

"I'm not a pillow, damnit! Let me go!" Zexion panicked, grumbling as Demyx rubbed his head into his flesh. This has never happened to him ever before and it was so embarrassing.

"What the?" A voice came from the phone, clear enough for both brothers to hear. It was deeper than Sora's and it wasn't a female.

Leon glanced to the phone. "Yes?"

"Do I _want_ to know what's going on?"

Zexion answered. "No, you don't."

"Zexy…" Demyx muttered.

"It's Zexion, you bastard!"

"Ummm…" Leon reached forward to grab the phone. "Is he staying or not?"

"I guess he can stay. He's attached himself to something, or by the sounds of it, someone." The two brothers recognized the sigh that came afterwards as Cloud. He was the only one that would really do that. And Roxas would be grumbling angrily so there was no way it could be him.

"Yes, my brother. Is there a way to get him unattached?" The brunet asked.

"Not…really. He has an iron grip and won't let go at all and I mean that. He'll do so when he wakes up but doing that is a chore since he's such a heavy sleeper. It's best to give up and wait it out."

"That's not helping me." Zexion sneered, glaring at the phone, wishing death upon the person behind it. He then turned to the sleeping blond on his lap.

"Sorry, got to go. And good luck." The phone clicked off, leaving the room in silence.

Zexion sighed, fighting and struggling a little more before surrendering into the arms and collapsed onto the couch, trying to find a cozy spot. He might as well get comfortable until morning seeing as he wasn't going anywhere. Leon handed over a pillow, placing it underneath Zexion's head, and flopped down on the couch on the opposite side, relaxing. He was going to stay here for tonight, after all, it wouldn't be fair if only Zexion had to suffer.

"Zexy…" Demyx muttered.

The younger brother sighed heavily at the nickname and ran a hand through his hair. Now that he had stopped panicking, it wasn't that bad, it was actually quite nice. He brought a hand down, patting Demyx on the back. If he was going to suffer in this position, he might as well find a way to enjoy it. Leon watched from the side and rotated away to get his brother some privacy.

* * *

Vote for the 3rd pairing! Please! I hope this time it'll be a little more completive. That's always fun!


	4. Wave

**Title: Soaring**

**By: Metamorcy**

**Rating**: M

**Pairing**: Leon/Cloud, Riku/Sora, Axel/Roxas, Demyx/Zexion

**Disclaimer**: don't own

**Summary**: Everyone believes that high school is supposed to be normal but that was until the Stife and Leonhart group meet and destroyed that… Cleon, Soriku, AkuRoku, Zemyx AU

**Individual Summary:** Demyx had the hard end of life from the poor side but as he looked over to the person in the distance, he couldn't help but fall.

Thanks for all those that reviewed and cast a vote, here is the result.

AxelXRoxas - 2

SoraXRiku - 1

The winner for the third couple is…

Dum dum dum…

**AxelXRoxas**

That means that SoraXRiku will be the fourth pairing.

Thanks for Ayden Silverflame, luckless-is-me, and woop1 (hers is a PM) for voting. And purplepairy and Vedensolia for reviewing. It really makes me happy that someone is at least reading.

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Chapter 4: Wave

"Mom…" Demyx whispered as he looked at his mother, who was cutting carrots on a board in the kitchen. He was peeking out from behind a wall, his hair falling down, and blinked. The paint on the walls was falling apart and there was a weak humming sound coming from the refrigerator. Some of the wooden doors on the cabinets that had fallen off revealed the contents inside. The woman in the center turned to him, holding a sharp knife in one hand and rubbed her other on the apron to clean it of juice. She gave a bright smile and tilted her head, letting her blond locks fall slip over her shoulders.

"Yes, Demyx?"

"How was…work?"

"Oh, it was fine." She gave a brighter smile and went back to cutting. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, why don't you so something until then." The chopping sound came back, louder this time. There were sounds of cars honking outside and the rattling of a train going down the tracks nearby that blended in. It was so loud here. Demyx stared at her back for a few moments before turning towards the living room. They lived in a shabby apartment, too small for three people (the third person his father). There just wasn't enough space but they lived with it. Demyx tried to stay out of the way for his family, he didn't want his parents to get mad but it couldn't be helped sometimes. He collapsed onto the couch and flipped the TV on. It came up to the news channel, a reporter saying that someone had gotten murdered while walking home on the streets. Nothing new about that especially in this neighborhood where it was common.

A door opened at the front of the room and Demyx looked up to see who it was.

"Hey, Dad." He smiled but then noticed the drained and tired expression on his father's face. He stopped what he was saying, his lips falling downward. Demyx remained quiet and went back to the TV, trying to concentrate on the program. He recognized that face many times, it meant that work had been bad, and it had been happening more often than before. The older man dragged himself into the kitchen and there was some muttering in the background. Demyx turned up the volume to not hear, it was the usual stuff every night. But Demyx had to count himself fortunate compared to his classmates at junior high. Many of them had single parents, abusive or addict ones, even murders and thieves. He really had to be blessed that his were still together and weren't killers or a drinker or did drugs. Really, really, lucky…

Though they were poor, they tried to live together, listening to each other and always tried to work something out. The economy in Atlantica had once been great, the buildings had been bright blue as it reflected the sunlight and there were people singing freely but now it wasn't like that. Those building were now a dull gray, covered in dust and smoke. There had been a large ocean just at the outskirts of the town with waters that were clear and beautiful but now it was brown with trash and dead animals floating in the liquid. The air had been the same, a lovely blue, not anymore now, people couldn't see the sky, and it was always covered by a dark cloud of smoke. And still people didn't understand that they were overusing their products and soon it lead to something worse. Houses and home's prices shot through the roof, taxes kept piling up, jobs were disappearing, and things were closing down. Supplies were limited and the prices of material and goods rose up every day. Many people, who were lucky enough, had to work two or three jobs to make ends meet and that was for only one person, for two it was a little easier, but it was still hard. It was tough and people were moving out every day. The bustling town of sixty-thousand was now a mere five thousand. It was a tough time. Thief, murder, rape, it was all common in this place and people learned fast that in order to be safe, weapons had to be carried.

Demyx had a gun, it always went wherever he went but he never used it to kill anyone, all he'd have to do was wave the thing around to make a threat. But he did know how to handle the thing and wasn't afraid to give out warning shots at troublemakers when they got too close or tried anything to a friend of his. Honestly though, he wouldn't hurt a fly but desperate times call for desperate measures. Once he thought and felt he wouldn't hesitate to kill if he needed to. But he also stole at times, anything he could get his hands on and bring it back to his family. He knew it was bad to do these things but he had to if he wanted to survive.

"Demyx!" His mother called out, a little bit more cheery than before. He turned the TV off and wandered into the kitchen.

"Yeah?" He poked his head in and blinked as both of his parents turned to him at the same time.

"Come here. We have something to tell you." His father commanded, his expression no longer tired. He looked a little more relieved and relaxed.

Demyx sat down onto one of the kitchen chairs and pushed in. "Yeah?"

"We have something to tell you." His mom stated, unfolding his hands. "You…need to _leave_…"

"W-what?" Demyx chocked. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry we don't want to do this but we can't afford to keep you here. We never could so we're going to send you my sister's and your cousin's house in Twilight Town. They'll be able to take care of you and you won't be in such a dangerous environment. It's too harsh for someone your age." The mother continued, reaching forward to grasp Demyx's hands. "Please listen to us and go. It'll be the best for the both of us. You know well enough about our position."

"But…won't you miss me?" The blond-haired teen muttered quietly.

The father, whose cheek bones were beginning to sharp and grow inner, sighed deeply. "Of course we'll miss you. We raised you and cared for you. But as things are right now, we can't do any of that. For now, you should head to your aunt's place until things are more stable. We'll be fine without your support."

Demyx remained quiet for a few minutes, trying to process everything that had happened before giving in. His shoulders slumped downward and he felt himself fading as he spoke the word. "Okay…"

The faces on his parents brightened up instantly. "Oh, thank you so much! I knew you'd understand." The mother cheered, running forward to wrap her hands around her son's frame. "I'm so happy! You'll finally get the life you deserve."

"Thanks, Demyx." The father smiled, the first real one in a long time.

Demyx beamed back but it felt so empty, so unreal. It was a fake but he just wanted to make his family happy.

* * *

It was his freshmen year at Sunset High and he had to attend the welcoming ceremony for all freshmen that introduced the faultily and staff together and a couple of officers that were positioned here. Demyx had earplugs in, listening to the heavy rock metal that played in his ears. But he wasn't the only one others were doing the same, or were reading, or sleeping, or even chattering to old friends from the year before. He didn't have any friends here except for Cloud but he was a sophomore. It was normal that freshmen and sophomores never got along and constantly teased each other.

A few months had passed since coming here and he still missed his family and home but he had to agree. It was a lot better here and he felt safe for the first time in his short life. When he had arrived, he still carried his gun but after a while stopped, putting it safely into his drawer. His thieving days were long gone and didn't eye anything that caught his attention. It was like he had turned over a new leaf and was always smiling, always happy, no matter what. He was able to relax and his aunt was a wonderful person, always happy and smiling. His cousins had welcomed him in instantly and often hung around them since he had no one else, but it was alright. He was enjoying his time here. His eyes wandered into the crowd, bored out of his mind as the principal what's-his-name preached about morals and rules.

Then he saw _him_.

A person with lovely lavender-colored hair.

Zexion Leonhart.

His eyes widened instantly, zoning in on the teenager. He was the smallest among the group just a few feet away from Demyx. His heart fluttered and a blush spread across his face. He mentally squealed and squirmed in his seat. In his mind, he couldn't help but think 'Ah…he's so beautiful…' and sigh blissfully. When Zexion moved his hair to look around, he licked his lips and thought that this person had to be a god. He was just so…dazzling.

His fingers itched just like they had once before in his thieving day when he saw something good. He didn't want to steal this person, no, he wanted him. He hadn't known that it was love at first sight but it was and he wanted to get closer.

Demyx pestered the people around him to get the name and when he did, he would look at the other from the corner of his eyes whenever he heard it. Before he realized it, he had to hear the voice just once. That was when he found out that Zexion Leonhart didn't talk very much and was silent to everyone except to his brother and was notorious in pushing people away. But Demyx was okay with that, after all, he was known with the ability to talk for two or three people.

And afterwards, he found out that he was friends with Riku Genova, an arch enemy of the Stifes. Demyx didn't know much about the rivalry but he could tell that there was a lot of hatred between them. He would always see Cloud glaring at Sephiorth and Riku alike and it was enough for him to not get involved. There was no way they could be lovers, much less friends because of that, Cloud and Roxas wouldn't allow it.

But everyone knew about his crush for Zexion, well, only those were close and many of them kept it a secret from anyone else that was outside of their group. Cloud only tolerated it though he never liked the idea. No, Cloud hated it, he despised it, and if he could have his way, he would outright tell Demyx to stay away from the teen. But Cloud just ignored Demyx whenever the younger blond would get so happy when he saw the Leonhart. So when Demyx went a little too far and he knew that as well and asked the eldest brother to go out with Leon, he had seen the hidden flicker of emotion flash in the eyes. In Cloud's mind, the Genovas and anyone friends with them were the enemy.

So he remained quiet.

And he waited.

And waited until there was a time that he could get pass the barrier.

When it comes he would take it, no matter what.

* * *

Thanks so much and I bet you are getting tired of people saying this but please review, they make me happy. And if you want something to be seen please don't hesitate to say, I can try to fit it into my plans and I'll give you credit for it. Thanks again!


	5. Increase

**Title: Soaring**

**By: Metamorcy**

**Rating**: M (for safety)

**Pairing**: Leon/Cloud, Riku/Sora, Axel/Roxas, Demyx/Zexion

**Disclaimer**: don't own

**Summary**: High school was never a normal place. And it only got weirder when the Leonharts came along… Cleon, Soriku, AkuRoku, Zemyx AU

It's late, 3 weeks late and I know that. There was so much going on that I hadn't even touched this until Monday of this week. Such a horrible thing but at least it came out then get forgotten right? Right?

But I should be able to get the next one on time, though that can't be said about the next.

I'm having some difficult in picking a summary so I've been changing it a lot for a while. Hope you don't mind, it's just until I finally get one I like.

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Chapter 5: Increase

Demyx let out a deep exhale.

He was warm.

It was a similar feeling he had felt a long time ago at home when he had been held by both of his parents tightly, wrapped in a thick blanket. It had been a pleasant memory, all warm and fuzzy. But that had been a long time ago, maybe when he had been six years old when the downturn hadn't hit so hard at that time. Though, at the moment, he couldn't really feel any love from this warmth like before but he could sense kindness. It was pleasant and he sighed blissfully, snuggling deeper into the blankets.

Then a grunt snapped him out of his daze.

Demyx opened his eyes instantly then regretted it as the sunlight beamed straight into his lids. He winced at the brightness and waited slowly until he got used to it before looking around wildly. Soon after, he noticed something purple under his body. He blinked his eyes in confusion.

Now that he realized it, what had happened last night? Memories of it flowed back into his head. However, all he really remembered was taking a nap on the couch as he waited for the Leonharts to finish up with the dishes. He had wanted to help but they instantly refused him without a second thought. What had happened afterwards?

Now that he could get a good look at the bundle…

He paused.

Just how the hell did _Zexion_ get here?!

And _underneath_ him too?!

Demyx shot out of his spot, trying to get away as fast as possible but tripped over the table that was right next to the couch and fell onto it. A pained yell escaped his lips, swinging his arms wildly in confusion. Luckily, he hadn't landed hard enough to break it but his ass was burning from the sharp slap. He groaned softly at the pain and had one eye closed shut.

Then there was a shuffle from the couch, Zexion had shifted around in his sleep, disturbed a little by the noise. But amazingly he didn't wake up. Instead, he continued to sleep on, his hands wrapped around his pillow, snuggling deeper into it. The gray blanket was draped over his small frame, curving around his sides. His hair had fallen over and was covering both eyes, though half of his face was already buried into the pillow. He looked so peaceful like that.

"Ah, so you're awake…"

A voice came from behind, startling Demyx enough to make him jump back onto his feet and almost tripped again if he hadn't held onto the table for safety this time. The blond looked at the brunet that was standing at the doorway, leaning to the side with his arms folded neatly on his chest. His lips were in a thin line and his gray-blue eyes were watching intensely. His hair was a little messy, obvious that he hadn't had the time for a comb and just resorted in using his hands as one. His clothes were still neat even though there were now wrinkles and creases in the center. His jacket was on the couch along with the belts he usually wore.

"G-Good morning!" Demyx smiled, moving away from the still sleeping Zexion, who had by then thrown the covers over his head. He had seen a blue eye peeking out from under the hair and had really thought for a moment that the other _had_ to be awake. But Zexion didn't get up, instead, he moved around into a more comfortable position and went back to sleep. "Umm…"

"He'll get up when he wants to." Leon commented. "Just leave him be."

"But…wasn't he just awake a moment ago? I mean I saw one of his eyes." Demyx pointed, confused as to why the younger Leonhart wasn't going to wake up on this beautiful Saturday morning. It had been even stranger that Zexion showed no signs of getting up at all whatsoever.

"Ah…that. Yes, he does have a tendency to do that." Leon whispered to himself but it was loud enough for Demyx to hear. "Just ignore him."

"O-Okay…" Demyx watched as Leon went towards the kitchen where he noticed a lovely smell was coming from. He licked his lips at it and swallowed, forgetting all about his crush for the moment. It was one of the best aromas he had ever smelled before, sometime called home cooking, a thing he never got anymore since most of the Stifes either couldn't cook or only knew the basics. His legs followed the brunet. "Are you cooking breakfast?"

"Yeah, that's right." Leon immediately went to the stove where there was a sizzling sound and picked up the spatula, stirring whatever was inside. "Just take a seat. Zexion will come in once he smells this."

"I see, okay." Demyx complied and watched the brunet from his spot. "Do you need any help? Like getting the dishes or some cups?"

Leon paused for a second and shook his head since he was already doing it, gathering the utensils, while whatever was cooking still was and placed everything on the table with sharp clicks. He then opened the refrigerator and pulled out the milk and orange juice, putting it onto the table. He muttered a 'help yourself' before going back to the stove, stirring the food again. It went like that quietly for a few more minutes until Zexion came stumbling in, looking half-dead.

"Morning…" The lavender-haired teen mumbled, flopping onto the chair and would have collapsed forward if he hadn't noticed the glass cup in front of him. He stared at the cup as if trying to figure out what it was before tilting his head. Slowly reaching over, he pulled the milk towards him, pouring himself a glass and sipped quietly, not completely awake yet. His mind hadn't started up and went back to staring at the cup in a daze. Demyx slanted his head to the right and blinked at the reactions he was getting. Just what was going on?

"Morning." Leon went over with the pan in hand and used the spatula to push the food onto each plate equally. He noticed the confusion on the blond but didn't say anything and walked away for a second to place the still hot pan into the sink. Turning the faucet on to cool it, he watched as steam came floating up and disappear. Leon scrubbed it lightly and let it soak before coming back to the kitchen table, sitting down and reached over to grab a fork, stabbing it into the eggs and sausages. His eyes examined the blond again and gave him a nudge to the side. This seemed to snap the other out of it. "Hope you don't mind some vegetables in your eggs."

"Huh? Oh no. Anything is good to me!" Demyx instantly took a bite, savoring the taste, though it was hard to concentrate when Zexion looked like he had literally gone through a storm. His hair was all messy, his clothes were all ruffled, and his face definitely stated that he was out of it. Demyx looked at his breakfast and notice little green things in the eggs with some clear purple and white stripes. He licked his lips, it looked so good. But his eyes kept drifting back to the other.

The lavender-haired teen ate quietly, not bothered with anyone at the table. Leon did the same.

Suddenly a question came into the blonde's mind. He tried to turn his attention away from the younger Leonhart and it worked. "Hey, Leon, why were you at the mall yesterday?"

The brunet snapped his head up and stared before taking a deep sigh. He rubbed the bridge of his nose where his scar was at and closed his eyes. "I was looking for something to get for Zexion since Christmas is in two months."

"O-Oh…" Demyx nodded, understanding and went back to eating. He looked at the dazed Zexion before continuing. "So did you manage to find anything?"

"No…"

There was a soft yawn from Zexion, who now looked a little more awake then before. Much more actually. He blinked his tired eyes and glanced around the room still in a daze but he was able to notice things a little more. He paused at Demyx and the gears in his brain quickly began to work. "So you're still here…" He glanced at his brother then to the food in front. "Thanks."

Leon just nodded and continued to eat, obviously used to this sort of action. But Demyx wasn't and he was gawking in confusion.

"Just ignore him. He's not really himself in the morning." Leon stated, trying to end the discussion on this subject. Demyx seemed to understand but was still puzzled about this strange attitude and tried to finish his breakfast. He wanted to find out. It was something new he could add to his list of things about Zexion. But that wasn't the only reason though. The way the conversation had ended made him feel a little sad. For some odd reason, he really wanted to know more about the Leonharts themselves and the silence he was getting made his chest clench.

* * *

"I wonder how my family is going to react in seeing you guys." Demyx whispered to himself. "I mean, they know I'll be coming back but I doubt they'll be very happy with that fact that I slept over in the first place or that I'm showing you where we live too." He reached into his pockets and book bag, searching for his keys or was trying to find them. At the moment, they were currently in front of the Stife household and he was praying that maybe no one would be home (not that that was going to happen but he could at least try). Leon and Zexion were right behind him, watching quietly as Demyx muttered about his demise and doom. He hadn't dare mention what had happened when he had woken up, there was no way he could bring something that was so embarrassing. It was just impossible. His face turned deep red at just the thought when he remembered having Zexion beneath him. Demyx shook his head, trying to push them away.

"It'll be fine. If they didn't force you to come back last night, they shouldn't be that mad." Leon sighed, trying to help ease the tension on the blond. "If anything happens, it'll be alright. They won't kill you."

"You think so?" Demyx looked back with hope. He had given up on trying to find his keys and resorted to ringing the door bell. He looked at his injured hand and tried to hide it under his sleeves. It would be bad if his family noticed.

"Yeah." Leon nodded before getting a tug at his side. He glanced at Zexion, who was staring with a questionable stare.

"You're lying, aren't you? Why?" The younger brother whispered, leaning over as they waited for someone to open the door. Their faces were kept the same to not give away what they were doing.

"Because then he'll freak out and run away." Leon replied softly. He straightened himself up when he heard the sounds of footsteps on the other side. "He's a good kid, let the family take the stress and anger on us. It'll only be for a moment."

Zexion nodded, agreeing. He too found this whole rivalry completely stupid and that Demyx wasn't that bad of a person. Turning towards the front door when he heard a click, the wooden frame squeaked loudly as it swung open and he heard Demyx swallow loudly in fear. Before them was Roxas, who was glaring accusingly at the two Leonharts.

"So you're back…" Roxas growled while Demyx visibly flinched.

"As we promised. And we didn't do anything to him." Leon stated, mentally sighing at the harshness in the voice.

"I'll be the judge of that. If I find anything wrong with him, I going to find you and murder you myself. The police won't even be able to find you at all! I'll make sure of it!" The younger blond growled. He had basically just threatened the Leonharts but they just stared in return.

Leon almost wanted to chock the blond but held that threat back by sheer will. It was just so tempting. Roxas really knew how to annoy him. He instead reached forward to gently push Demyx towards the house. His eyes noticed that Zexion was struggling inside at the same thought of killing the twerp himself and couldn't help but sigh, pinching his nose. Demyx, on the other hand, squeaked loudly, scared out of his mind. When Roxas makes threats, he always went through with it. "We'll be leaving now. If you _do_ find something wrong, Demyx knows where we live. You can _try_ and do anything you like with us afterwards." Leon backed up and would have walked away if someone else hadn't popped through the door, calling him out. The Stife siblings looked back.

"Wait! Leon!" A voice called and a small body broke through the two blonds. He ran forward towards the Leonhart brothers, forcing them to turn. Sora stood there, out of breath, with his clothes all tousled and disorganized. He then did something that was odd to both families, he smiled. "Thanks."

"For what?" Zexion blinked, turning to his brother.

"I mean thank you for looking out for our cousin. I heard what had happened yesterday at the mall from my friend. So yeah, thanks a lot. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't intervened. So I'm really glad that you did." Sora's smile grew wider, leaning forward.

Roxas seemed a little startled by this information. He turned his attention to his brother. "Wait, what? What happened?" His eyes then went to Demyx. "Demyx?"

Leon paused a little longer, folding his arms, and nodded in response while Zexion turned away, heading towards the car, figuring that the visit was now over. The elder Leonhart remained a little longer before following, his eyes going over the Stife family then the house. For a moment, he had caught a bright blue color in the window, peeking out from behind the curtains. Obviously it had to be either Cloud or but when he saw them narrow dangerously when their eyes connected, it could only be one person. Leon snorted, bringing up a hand to wave. The eyes then widened for a second before disappearing, the curtain falling down into place.

The brunet ran a hand through his hair and went back to walking, taking out his car keys. He slipped into the driver seat with his brother in the passenger and drove off without looking back. Demyx waved with a large smile on his face and watched them disappear behind the corner. However, his troubles weren't over yet. A hand slapped itself onto his shoulder, forcing him to remain still. "H-Hey…" Demyx cried, getting dragged towards his house. Roxas was grumbling about something, his grip strong, while Sora remained to the side, happily skipping along.

"You've got some explaining to do." The younger blond growled threateningly then turned to his twin brother. "And so do you!"

"Right, right…" The brunet grumbled, opening the front door to let his two family members in. Demyx struggled a little longer before giving up and just went along for the ride.

Though he instantly regretted that when the door closed. Everyone was seated in the living room, looking at him with narrowed eyes. He was pushed down into the center of a couch with the twins on his side. was comfortably settled into the single chair at the left side while Cloud was on the opposite, glaring.

"First things first, did they do anything to you?" Roxas demanded, leaning to the side to look over his cousin. He pulled some of the clothes up to inspect, trying to get anywhere that could be hidden. The cousin managed to keep his wounded hand away by swatting.

"Of course not, nothing happened, nothing at all. They were really kind to me this whole time." Demyx backed up and sighed heavily. He pushed the hands further away, trying to secure himself. His family just had to be like this but it couldn't be helped, they were just worried about him.

"Are you sure? You're not just protecting them are you?"

"No."

There was a sigh of relief from the family except for Sora, who looked overjoyed. To say, the twin was a little different than the other two. He was kinder and never held grudges, that's why he didn't mind the Leonharts but he would be lying if he said that he hadn't been scared for Demyx's life.

"They really _are_ nice people, if things were a little different, we could have at least been friends." Demyx's face fell as he spoke, remembering the feud between the Stife and Genovas, and let his shoulders slump. But he had at least gotten a chance to get a good look at Zexion, his crush, and where he lived. It had been a nice dream while it had lasted. He watched as his cousins looked away and quickly argued with each other to get rid of any guilt. His eyes went to and she returned the gaze with a soft smile.

"And what about you, Sora? What do you have to say?" Roxas growled.

"Well…" The brunet started, getting everyone's attention. "It was late last night that I got a call informing me of something that had happened at the mall. Apparently someone had bumped into Seifer, you know the school bully, and spilled some slushy all over his white coat. Of course, Seifer wasn't really happy about this, not at all, and was about to kill the person that had bumped into him." Sora somehow managed to turn the tale into a story but everyone listened, even Cloud, not as if they had a choice. "Then came Leon, stopping Seifer before things go bad, gave him a quick punch in the face, breaking his nose, and ran off. Kairi had been there watching and reported it back to me."

"I take it that the person had been Demyx." whispered, bringing a hand up to her lips. Her makeup was weak but she was beautiful none the less, a gene that most of the Stife family had inherited.

"Yeah, that's what happened. I…um…sprained my wrist when he pushed me down." Demyx pulled the sleeve back, finally revealing the bandages. Sora stood up, most likely going to grab the kit but Demyx stopped him. "Leon treated it for me already, he really helped me out."

"That's good. I'm really glad that you're safe and sound." The mother smiled and then her eyes darkened, turning to Roxas. "Now, don't you dare go out and try to pick a fight with this Seifer person. I think he has already gotten what he deserves with that broken nose. But I'll allow you to make fun of him. Cloud, make sure Roxas stays in line, you know how he is."

"Alright, Mom." The eldest brother nodded, folding his legs and leaned back into the couch, relaxing.

Then an echoing silence engulfed the room. No one knew what to say at the moment then Roxas broke it.

"Well, I hope you ate already since someone blew up our microwave _again_!" Roxas yelled, glaring at his twin brother. The dampened mood collapsed and the fights came back.

"It was an accident. I swear. How was I supposed to know that metal cups weren't supposed to be used for heating?"

"There was a warning sign on the fucking cup! How could you have missed it?"

Demyx blinked, watching the two brothers bicker. It was nothing new to see but he loved it. He looked at Cloud, who was settled into the single couch, and saw a frown on the lips but it wasn't directed at him but at something else or some thought. Demyx blinked, watching his older cousin struggle with something within and smiled softly. He just hoped that whatever it was turned out for the best.

And while he was on that, he hoped his relationship with Zexion would improve as well. He really did.

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I hope I did well though this one was kinda a quickie. Thanks for reading, hope you've enjoyed it.


	6. Flare

**Title: Soaring**

**By: Metamorcy**

**Rating**: M (for safety)

**Pairing**: Leon/Cloud, Riku/Sora, Axel/Roxas, Demyx/Zexion

**Disclaimer**: don't own

**Summary**: High school was never a normal place. And it only got weirder when the Leonharts came along… Cleon, Soriku, AkuRoku, Zemyx AU

Author's note: I won't be able to update regularly since I'm going to be getting busy for the next few days or weeks so yeah. Sorry. Couldn't help it. But I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

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Chapter 6: Flare

"Axel! Stop it!"

The red head paused, his fingers clenching on his lighter. He turned slowly, his face glowing from the red light before him, looking sinister. His large green eyes glanced up at his parents, their faces darkened under shadows but he could make out the frightened features. Axel's eyes narrowed as he stared at them then to someone far away, hiding behind a door. It was only opened a crack but he could make out a single eye that was poking out, watching the scene. He could smell the faint scent of smoke and burnt wood and chuckled darkly.

"You need to stop doing this, Axel" His father yelled, putting out the blazing fire that was scorching the bottom of a chair. They were outside next to the outdoor furniture. "You just can't light everything you see on fire!"

"Axel, dear, why did you turn out this way…?" The mother was crying in the background, weeping tears of sorrow for her youngest son.

But Axel didn't pay attention to his parents, his eyes were captured by the dying fire. His heart clenched as it was successfully put out and sighed. His bright red hair, gotten from his father, seemed to deflate a little. He could faintly hear his parents crying over him saying 'Why did he turn out this way?', 'Is it our fault?' and even 'What have we done to deserve this?'.

Axel ignored it all and watched as black smoke floated upward, dissipating into the sky. It got thinner and thinner till it was all gone and stopped. A gust of wind blew away the lingering smell, running through his thick locks of hair. Then a door closed, leaving only silence. His parents had left him alone, no longer wanting to be in his presence. Soon after, the person behind the door came out. He had the same color of eyes and hair but his red locks were only spiky at the top while the rest was straight at the bottom.

"Bro, you've got to stop doing that…You're making Mom and Dad worry." The older boy said.

Axel turned to him with hardened eyes. "Why?"

The older brother's, Reno's, eyes widened at the statement then stepped forward, unafraid. "Because they're your parents and I'm your older brother."

"Why?" The younger boy kept asking. He didn't understand it. He didn't get it at all. What was so great about family?

Reno kneeled down next to his brother and sighed deeply. Though the difference in time wasn't as bad, they were only four years apart in age, Axel only being ten, Reno fourteen. There was a large difference between them in personalities. Reno was overly cheery and had plenty of friends to go around. He was the type of person who got along with almost everyone and with no problems at all. Axel, however, wasn't as lucky. People ostracized him constantly and his fire tendencies sometimes got the best of him. He had once set a classmate of his on fire just because he had gotten pushed.

"How about this?" Reno proposed with a large grin on his face and one eye closed. He had a finger pointing upward, trying to catch his brother's attention. "When we're older, we'll get tattoos, both of us, and I'll pay for it."

Axel snapped his head up in surprise. He blinked his large green eyes and stared. "Tattoos…"

"Yep and we'll do it on the face for the whole world to see! Or anywhere else if you like. And when I'm eighteen, you can come and live with me too. I'll take care of you!"

"Really?" Axel leaned towards his brother, a small smile breaking out onto his face. Anywhere was better than living here. He didn't want to be any close to his parents, all they did was judge him, each and every minute and for every action he's done. It made this house a living hell.

Reno grinned in return, reaching up to rub his younger brother's hair, flattening it. "Yeah but I need you to do something in the mean time. I need you to be good for Mom and Dad. We don't want them getting any more upset then they already are, okay?"

Axel tilted his head at that, not understanding why he had to be good and questioned. "Why?"

"Just do it, okay?"

The younger brother still didn't get what was going on but he agreed anyway, wanting to make his brother happy. "Okay!"

"Good boy."

From then on Axel tried to be good. He lessened his tendencies to light things on fire, he smiled more, joked along with people, and interacted. He even tried to be nice and caring, he did everything. Axel could see that the wary expression on his brother's face fade away and then completely disappeared. Soon his new attitude was implanted into his wellbeing and it became more than a habit, it became a part of him. People came closer to him, not as scared as before, but they still kept their distance. Axel didn't mind though, he'd rather have people as far away as possible, they were too much trouble in his opinion. He still lit things on fire, mostly away from home where he couldn't get caught. He just couldn't help it, he loved the light that came from it, the warmth and he suddenly felt happy whenever seeing it. It was a great feeling, the best in the world.

When Reno turned seventeen, three years after the promise, he decided to go through with it. Axel stared at the numerous patterns on the board in a shop that did facial piercings and tattoos, trying to decide on what would work. Even though he knew his brother was paying, he didn't want to take advantage of that kindness and went with one of the cheaper ones. He finally decided on a upside down green triangle to go under both his eyes. His brother blinked at his choice and grinned, glancing up at his best friend, Rude, who had taken the time to drive the brothers to the shop and be the person who is eighteen years and up. He was a tall muscular man, bald at the top.

When Axel was done, he had two bandages over his cheeks since it still hurt and looked at his brother's grin, who had bandages over a similar place. Reno had gotten a thick red curve that went around the ends of the eyes and it honestly looked good on him. Rude just shook his head, always wearing his sunglasses even at night and ushered the two red heads outside to get into the car.

But when they got home, their parents didn't have the same option about the matter. They screamed, cursed, Axel more than Reno since the eldest was the main loved one, and sneered until they grew tired. Axel stayed strong and unmoving, used to this sort of treatment and was probably expecting it the entire time but didn't let it show. Reno laughed nervously at their parent's expressions and tried to hold onto that same braveness. When it was over, the eldest went upstairs first, not before saying goodnight and entered his room. Axel remained downstairs just a little bit longer before following.

He cursed his luck even more when he returned to school. The teachers, basically the entire faulty, made a fuss and students stared like anything. But it wasn't bad as the time he had brought in highly flammable oil with him, that had been worse. So after a few weeks, they stopped caring and looked away but a couple of students didn't. And that meant trouble in his books but they only attacked once, never a second not after what he did to them. He sometimes grin at the memory. Those lovely flares as it covered their entire body, roasting and melting everything. They had managed to get away but not without third degree burns covering their entire body and Axel never got in trouble either. He had scared them almost to death. It had been an interesting moment to him.

One day as he was strolling home, not willing to take the bus, he came a small park that had a few kids running around. They were happy looking, playing with each other, laughing. However, he spotted a single person, a bit older than the him, sitting in the furthest swing from the children, moving back and forth by himself.

Axel raised an eyebrow and stepped closer. He could see the silver hair that dangled in front of the head and dull green eyes that were staring at the ground hatefully. Something about the expression, the same he used to wear, drew him closer. He plopped down to the swing next to him and glanced over.

"Hey…"

The other lifted his head up curiously, blinked a couple of times before answering. "Hey…"

"What's wrong? Why the sad face? Shouldn't you be playing with others?" Axel motioned to the kids in the area. He could tell that the silver-haired teen was only older by a few months, not much, but it made enough difference between them.

"Why should I? They don't want to play with someone like me." The other huffed, glaring at the rocks beside his feet.

"And why's that?" Axel asked but didn't get an answer. "If you'd like, I guess I can spare a few hours for you."

The silver-haired teen lifted his head up. "You'd play with a Genova?"

"Sure, why not? What's wrong with being a Genova anyway?"

"We're rich."

Axel raised an eyebrow at that. "That's it? Now that's just stupid." He huffed, swinging slightly. "Come on."

The green-eyed teen blinked, not sure on what to do. The red head snorted, jumping off the swing and went around behind the older kid. He pushed slightly on the other, getting a response.

The silver-haired teen yelled. "H-Hey! What was that for?"

"I'm pushing you so you can go higher." Axel gave another shove.

"Oh…Um…Thanks…What's your name?"

"Axel Hanabi. I'm a pyromaniac."

"Riku Genova. Trickster and damn good at it."

"Oh?" Axel grinned, turning his eyes to the kids in the area. "If you're _that_ good, how about a test? Let's get this place to ourselves."

"Not a bad idea and I already have something in mind." Riku chuckled again, his sad expression changing into a grin and stared at the children on the monkey bars. "I think we'll be good friends."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

Axel leaned over the couch, flipping through the channels on TV, bored out of his mind. There was literally nothing good on, but that couldn't be helped since there was no cable and so he was just stuck with those regular ones. When he saw some movement from the corner of his eyes, he glanced over to see his older brother coming out of his bedroom, all dressed in a black suit. Reno was now twenty and they lived in an apartment together. Axel didn't mind the smallness of it at all and tried to keep the place clean to help out his brother. He even learned how to cook, though it was always slightly burnt, however, it always tasted good (Leon had once commented on it), are that Reno couldn't cook to save his life. It was the only few things he could do since his brother wouldn't take his money to pay for food and rent. Axel sighed at that. At the moment, Reno was heading out for work since his boss at Rufus Corporation had requested he come in for tonight.

"What time are you coming back?" Axel asked, perking out from behind the couch.

"Not sure, man." Reno grinned, his hair had grown longer over the years and it was now in a ponytail. The tattoos around his eyes were still there, the color never fading and glowed brightly on his skin. "Be care tonight and don't stay out too late."

Axel tilted his head. "What makes you say I'll be out late?"

"You always head over to the Leonharts whenever I leave you alone, right?" Reno chuckled, opening the door to the apartment.

"Ah…you caught me."

"Don't worry, man. I think its better you stay with the Leonharts then here alone." The older red head waved, closing the door, leaving Axel in silence except for the voices that were talking in the background. It was someone chatting about animals. How very uninteresting…

The red head sighed, shutting off the TV, gathering his things and tossed it over his shoulder. 'He's right, I always go over.' He took out his keys and opened the door, placing the metal into the knob and went down the stairs of the apartment building. "Well off I go."

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I hope you've enjoyed it, please review.


	7. Thanksgiving special

**Title: Soaring**

**By: Metamorcy**

**Rating**: M (for safety)

**Pairing**: Leon/Cloud, Riku/Sora, Axel/Roxas, Demyx/Zexion

**Disclaimer**: don't own

**Summary**: High school was never a normal place. And it only got weirder when the Leonharts came along… Cleon, Soriku, AkuRoku, Zemyx AU

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Chapter 7: Thanksgiving Special!

Leon huffed, folding his arms and stared at the oven before him. He was looking inside at the turkey that was covered in a thin foil then to the ham that had the same thing over it. However, at the base of the ham, the liquid was sizzling. A pleasant aroma filled the kitchen, it was the scent of honey, cinnamon, and a couple of others and it was heavy in the air. Pulling the red mittens on, he opened the oven door carefully, weary of the temperature inside. His eyes squinted slightly at the wave of heat that burst into his face and reached forward to pull the ham out, quickly applying another layer of glaze on it before pushing it back in. Leon did the same thing with the turkey, placing the foil back when he finished. He could hear Zexion in the background, pounding at the potatoes, trying to get them into tiny pieces.

As the eldest Leonhart placed everything back, he stepped away from the oven still looking inside. The bowl that contained the sugary liquid was placed to the side and he turned to check on his brother.

"How is it going?" Leon looked over Zexion's shoulder and saw that most of the potatoes were crushed.

"Almost done. Just needs some salt, pepper, and maybe a little more milk and butter." Zexion grunted as he struggled to pull up the masher from the bottom of the pot. A large lump of potatoes followed, sticking to the utensil like glue. He hit the side to make it fall back down. "How's the turkey and ham doing?"

"Same, just needs to cook a little bit longer. The apple pie is cooling down at the moment and so are the green bean casserole. The cranberry sauce is out and cut. The cheesecake is thawing." Leon looked around, trying to check their list. "Is there anything else I'm forgetting about?"

"Biscuits?" Zexion offered, momentarily turning to add some extra ingredients.

"Got that."

"Gravy?"

"Yep."

"Salad? Stuffing? Dressing?"

"Yep."

Zexion paused, not sure if he had left something out. That was a lot of food already but they were having some people over, more than the year before when it had been them, their father, Riku, and Axel. Zexion stared at the pot and stopped moving, the mashed potatoes were done. Now he had to transfer it into a different container and went around the kitchen looking. He was so deep in thought and his search that he almost missed a single sound.

The door bell had ringed.

Leon looked up from the plates of food that were placed on the kitchen table for the time being and went towards the font door. He went around the extended dining room, looking over it as he passed, and checked outside through the peeking hole. All he needed to see to know who it is was the bright red hair, a pair of them. Leon opened the door, welcoming the Hanabi brothers in.

"Yo! Squall!" Axel cheered, holding up a plate. "I brought chocolate chip cookies!"

"It's Leon and thanks. Put them on the kitchen table." He moved to the side, opening the door wider to allow the two in. His eyes turned to the eldest red head with a nod. "I take it that you're Reno…"

"And you must be Leon." Reno grinned then pointed to his forehead right below where he had goggles on. "The scar gave it away." He went closer, looking over the brunet then patted him on the shoulder lightly. His voice changed to that hopeless sensation as he spoke. "So I finally get to meet the great Leonhart. My _poor dear_ brother has talked so much about you and Zexion."

"I would hope he didn't give anything away while he was at it." Leon glanced at the other red head, who was currently peering into the oven, and had a glitter of humor in his eyes. Zexion finally managed to find a container to pour the potatoes into and sprinkled some cheese on top to complete it. Reno chuckled and reached behind his head to scratch, pushing down a few of the red points.

"I wouldn't worry about that. Anything he said, I can keep. I'm not stupid enough to mutter a few things that really shouldn't be spoken, not even when I get smashed." Reno then folded his arms and grinned wider at the brunet.

"Hey, Leon! This looks pretty good." Axel waved, pulling away from the oven and went towards the food on the table. He looked like a child that was overly excited on his birthday, all smiling and shit. "Thanksgiving this year is going to be great! More food!"

"That's because there's more people coming over. Dad is coming back this time as well." Zexion mumbled from the side, placing the container with the rest of the dishes.

"Huh?" Axel paused, eyes widening. "Your Dad is coming home today?"

"Yeah. He managed to convince his boss that he needed to come home and snagged the last plane leaving for here. He actually came back today at one in the morning but decided to stay at a hotel then risk driving. It's a two hour drive here after all." Leon took out the mittens again and opened the oven. The heat wave hit his once more, making his hair flutter back. His lips shifted into a frown from at the blast of temperature, his scar tilting downward.

Zexion continued where his brother had left off. "He didn't want to risk driving that late at night so he'll be arriving soon." He turned to the two red heads. "Could one of you get the door while we finish putting everything together?"

"Sure, that's fine. I can do that." Axel answered, going over to his brother and suddenly remembered something he forgot to do. "Oh, that's right, Zex, this is my older brother, Reno. Reno, this is Zex."

"It's Zexion…" The younger Leonhart huffed.

"Nice to meet ya." Reno winked.

"Likewise."

Axel lifted his head up when he heard the faint sounds of the door bell ringing, multiple times actually, and stood up. "I'll get it. Reno, just sit at the table there. I'll be right back." He left, leaving the three alone in silence.

"Hey, Leon? Zexion?" Reno called out from his spot with his legs folded, catching the brothers' attention. They didn't reply since they were busy but it was obvious that they were still listening. They had even noticed that the light voice had suddenly turned dark and serious. It made them a little curious but there were plenty of things to finish. Reno noticed this and went on. "Hey, I wanted to say this for a while. You've been taking care of Axel while I've been busy with work and helping him out in places when I couldn't. So thank you for looking out for him. I'm really grateful for that, man."

The two Leonharts paused and nodded at the same time.

"Hey, look who it is." Axel jumped right back into the room, breaking the mood instantly. Reno's face switched from the seriousness to his cheerful grin and glanced at the newcomers. The red lines on his face slid up at the grin, giving it an angle. "It's the Genovas, _four_ of them."

Riku was the first one to appear, waving at the Leonharts before sitting down next to Reno at the kitchen table. The food that had been placed there before was moved further to the end to keep it away from some sticky fingers and Leon made reinforced that since he was holding up a butcher knife in warning. The Hanabis and Riku flinched at the threat, eyeing the glittering knife wearily. The sliver-haired teen tried to turn the attention elsewhere, like to the three people at the door. They all had the same color of hair and green eyes like his own. Two of them looked similar in figure while the tallest was more muscular. "L-Let me introduce them. These are my cousins, the eldest is Loz, next Yazoo, and then the youngest is Kadaj. Apparently, they heard me talking on the phone to Zexion about the Thanksgiving lunch and wanted to come along. Sorry about that."

"But dear little cousin, we'd rather be with you then with mean Septh." Yazoo cooed, wrapping his arms around Riku's shoulders. His long silver hair fell over the face and he had a smirk on his red lips.

"Anywhere is better than those damn dinner parties our families keep having." Kadaj grumbled, flicking a lock back from his face and folded his arms. "I've had enough of those things, they've always ordering us around. We have to look perfect for Septh, get dressed, comb your hair, make sure about manners, etc, etc."

"Make sure you have your makeup on too." Riku whispered, earning a smack from the youngest cousin. He cradled his head in pain, holding it protectively, and glared up at Kadaj.

"You deserved that one, Riku." Yazoo commented from the side, releasing his hold on him.

Reno snickered, standing up from his seat while Axel went to his brother's side. The Leonharts continued to work in the background, trying to ignore everything. Introductions were made and the group chattered on though it wasn't that friendly. The cousins weren't willing to enter the conversation and just watched. The group slowly moved into the dining room, getting comfortable in their seats as they waited. Soon after, the food came out but no one went to eat yet, there was still one person missing. The cousins would have started if they hadn't noticed that no one else was trying to eat and decided to sit back and wait. The agony of that empty chair showed in the eyes of the Leonharts though their faces remained frozen.

"What do we have here? There's so many people this year!"

A voice yelled from the side.

Everyone looked up in shock, not having heard the footsteps. A tall man stood in the opening with shaggy brown hair that was similar to Leon's and had light blue eyes. The hair looked like it had been blown to the side with the bangs covering up a portion of the face. There was a grin on his lips and there was an air of cheeriness that almost seemed to sparkle. Two large suitcases were on the floor next to him, leaning against the door frame, and he suddenly ran forward towards to two in the back. Just as Leon and Zexion put the food down, they were tackled by the older man. "Oh my god! Look at my handsome sons, all grown up!" He cheered, laughing to himself, and squeezed tighter on his children. The sharpness in Leon's eyes weakened and he relaxed into the grip, Zexion following soon after.

"Dad…" Leon grunted, nearly getting crushed in the hug but didn't pull away. "Welcome back."

"Yeah…I know. It's been a while. But I'll always come back, you're my children after all and nothing's going to change that! But look at you now, both of you are all so grown up! You've changed over the years, I'm so proud of you!" Laguna cried, looking like tears were going to fall. The brother tried to stop their father from breaking down, perhaps until later when they were alone. It was a wonderful reunion between the two but they had to get that attention elsewhere since people were staring.

"Dad, let us introduce you to our friends and their family." Zexion tugged his father's sleeve and pointed to the people at the dining table, who were still staring at them in wonder. They blinked a few times when the father looked at them. "Let's all sit first so we can get started. I bet you're hungry after all that traveling. We'll do the introductions later and happy thanksgiving."

"Right!" Their father, Laguna, yelled with happiness. His tearful face was gone, washed away by all the pleased expressions, even the cousins had a faint smile. "We must feast like no tomorrow!"

Axel snickered from his spot, turning away for a moment. He found this funny. The sons were so serious and quiet and here is the father, the complete opposite, with enough brightness to cover for the two.

Riku had the same thoughts in mind and smiled gently, a little jealous that their father was so kind but it seemed even to him, their family troubles against his own. 'We're are all so messed up but when we're all together, we manage to forget our horrors back home and relax. This is the aura of the Leonharts, the calming effect they have on everyone…' He tilted his head, absorbing the memories of this moment like he was afraid that it would disappear if he looked away. 'We complete each other, perhaps not wholly but partly…'

"Alright, let's eat. Oh and I'm Reno by the way!" Reno smirked, motioning the father to his seat.

"Alright, Reno! Let's feast!"

Riku smiled and it felt like the load on his shoulders had dropped as he saw a faint curve on the sons' lips. It was small but it was a smile nonetheless.

It was going to be a pleasant holiday.

* * *

"Roxas, could you pass the butter?" asked, folding up a knife for the yellow paste. The blond did as he was told and looked over the food they had, if they could call it that…

It was more of a sad attempt since some of it was burnt. They ate silently, trying to get used to the taste. Some of the food was edible since it had been prepared by the store like the turkey while others were microwaveable. It was basically anything goes since they were also having chicken too.

But it was nice. Demyx had to agree with that thought. Even though the food wasn't the best, it was still a great thanksgiving. He glanced around at his family, seeing the twins devouring the turkey meat. Cloud was on the mash potatoes, adding cheese since it had gotten a bit dry from the microwave. Mrs. Stife had the chicken and was dipping it into soy sauce since it didn't have any taste at all.

"Sorry if it's not what you're used to." apologized, noticing the wandering sea-green eyes. "But you know us and cooking."

"Oh no, I'm actually happy. You've tried your best and that's what counts." Demyx smiled happily. "This is great."

"Oh please…" Roxas grumbled, not believing a word.

"Roxas…" Sora sighed, nudging his brother at the side. "Don't say things like that."

"Actually it's true, it's more fun when there are more people to share the experience with." Demyx grinned, taking Roxas on. "I mean before, back home, the food was better, but we could never eat a lot or do anything fun since the neighborhood wasn't exactly the…best." Demyx trailed off from there, not liking where he was going. He didn't want to remember those moments but he knew it would get the others off his case. It was his victory…

He paused.

Since when did he start getting sneaky?

"Let's just eat before it gets cold. It's Thanksgiving." Cloud sighed, going towards the turkey and cut a few pieces for himself.

"Yes, no arguing for today. This is a one year thing." The mom cut in.

Roxas grumbled. "Just wait until Christmas…"

Demyx sighed, well this year it wouldn't be too bad. He glanced out the window and smiled gently as he saw a group of people standing outside from across the street. Happy faces were on them, all smiling and hugging his neighbors.

"Happy Thanksgiving everyone."

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Yay! It's finished. Hope you enjoy this entire week.


	8. Intense

**Title: Soaring**

**By: Metamorcy**

**Rating**: M (for safety)

**Pairing**: Leon/Cloud, Riku/Sora, Axel/Roxas, Demyx/Zexion

**Disclaimer**: Don't own and if I did, the whole world would be filled with yaoi!

**Summary**: High school was never a normal place. And it only got weirder when the Leonharts came along… Cleon, Soriku, AkuRoku, Zemyx AU

More past!!!

Beta'd by Tokyomewmewlvr!!

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Chapter 8: Intense

Zexion blinked his large blue eyes, glancing out the window from within the car every once in a while then to his older brother, Squall, who was sitting in the back seat with him. He looked around curiously, absorbing everything he saw. He was only six years old and the whole world looked so wide, big, and bright. Everything was so new and exciting to him. His tiny fingers reached over towards his brother, his chubby fingertips brushing against the skin. Squall looked over, blinking, and tilted his head curiously to the side before understanding Zexion's movements. He reached over to pat his younger brother on the head gently, messing with the pale hair.

"Where are we going?" The smaller boy whispered softly, tilting his head downward towards the floor of the car. There was a half empty tissue box and a couple of magazines scattered along it. His small feet were swinging up and down, not able to touch the bottom.

"To see Dad's friend." Squall looked at their father, who was driving, turning the wheel gently. He noticed the sharp gaze that went into the distance then his father paused to look back when the car stopped for a moment. There was a red light beaming through the window.

"You two comfy?" Lagura, their father, sang happily, grinning ear to ear.

The boys in the back nodded.

"Good, good." Lagura went back to the road, humming to himself. When the light turned green, they were off again.

Zexion blinked and leaned towards Squall, feeling safe with his big brother. But he saw something in the distance from his spot, a green light. It wasn't the one they had just passed over but another that was ahead about twenty feet. They were just about the pass under it when he noticed something at his side window.

It was a bright white light. It was coming at them so fast.

His eyes widened as he felt the thing crash into them. He heard a loud screech and a bang. It soon followed with a hard shove. Everything was moving, turning, twisting, bending. There were screams all around him and the grip on his fingers tightened for dear life.

Then everything went black.

By the time consciousness started to come back to him, he could heard his name being repeated to him.

"Zexion! Zexion!"

The younger brother twitched, opening his eyes but stopped immediately when the pain shot through his face. His tiny fingers reached up to cover his left eye when it had originated from and felt a copper-scented liquid drip down. It fell to his chin, either dripping off or it would run down his neck. It was sticky and warm. The same liquid fell down his arm. And there was something else, something sharp there and his fingers could feel it. Every time he touched it, the pain would intensify. He managed to open his right eye to look around though he had to wait for a while to get the black spots from dancing and clear up. His eye went down to his hands, all covered in red. His ears were ringing, he couldn't hear a thing. He spotted his brother to his side, looking over him in concern.

"Brother…"

Zexion noticed that Squall's face was covered in the same sticky liquid then trailed his eye upward to something else. His right eye widened in shock. He could see a large gash that went across Squall's forehead and he could make out something white from within the blood. There was a pained expression on his older brother but Squall contained it in. Zexion saw the lips move and it took him a moment to register the voice as the buzzing died down.

"Are you alright?"

Zexion lifted up his other hand to go up to cover his left eye. "My eye…"

"Does it hurt?"

Zexion nodded.

"I see. Don't touch it, let it be." Squall tried to calm down and wiped some of the blood away from his eyes, smearing it further. He looked over the car, Zexion doing the same. The left side of the vehicle was caved in, the scent of oil was thick in the concentrated air and a blinking light flickered on and off to where the crash had occurred. Metal was bended everywhere and there were pieces of it scattered around them. Glass was broken, laying on their bodies or on the floor. Every time they tried to move, he would brush against it and it hurt. White pillow-looking things were blown up at the front two seats and there were sounds echoing all around. There was screaming, people yelling in the distance. Smoke covered most of the area, they couldn't see from beyond the windows.

"Daddy?" Zexion called out, looking at their father. The older man grumbled softly, his face completely buried into the pillow thing but when Zexion looked down, he saw something sticking out of the driver seat. There was a long metal pole coming from the backseat, the end just missing his legs. The red liquid was running along it, coming from through the seat covering. His eyes spotted Squall running a finger under the cut, wiping more blood away and smeared it down his eyes.

"Brother…?"

Squall noticed the gaze and gave a reassuring smile. "It's okay, I'm alright."

Zexion didn't seem convinced but he believed in those words as hope. That everything would be okay, that everything would turn out okay. He shifted around in his seatbelt, looking at the other car. The person behind the wheel had his head in it, the horn going off.

The sounds of voices got closer and then faces began to appear in the windows, calling out to them. But they faded as he felt his strength getting weaker. He leaned over to his brother, wanting some comfort and warmth as he began to feel cold. Squall reached over and patted Zexion's head and held the other closely. His eyes narrowed at the other driver and scolded. But he could only think of his brother's safety, only that.

He tightened his grip, ignoring the pain in his head and the pounding from within.

Zexion didn't mind the tight grip. His eye hurt and his vision was getting blurry. His fingers gripped Squall's clothes, nuzzling his right side of his face into the clothes for protection.

Then he blacked out once more.

* * *

The next time Zexion woke up, it was in a bright white room. He could smell medicine and the overused cleaning products. There were sounds all around and he concentrated on the voices in the distance. His eyes opened up carefully, still remembering about his left eye. Funny thing was that he could no longer feel pain but he couldn't see anything through that area and as he reached up with one hand to feel the place, he could tell that something was covering it. It was a rough material and recognized it as some bandages from memory. His one eye glanced around the room to the voices and spotted his brother to the side of him, in another bed, sleeping. The beeping sound that came from the machines echoed in his ears and there was a drippy thing he had never seen before connected to his arm.

"How are my sons?! You must tell me how they are!"

Zexion sat up slightly. 'Dad…'

The other man that was standing beside his father, who was currently sitting up in bed, sighed. He was dressed in a white coat and there was a woman in the same colored clothes next to him. "Sir, please, calm down. You're still recovering from your surgery. The stitches are just barely holding."

"I'll calm down when I know how my sons are." Lagura settled back down into his bed, leaning back against the pillow and looked at the doctor.

"Alright. Well, your eldest son, Squall, has a cut across his face from one of the metal pieces. It was quite deep and he needed stitches to keep it from opening wider. But he'll be fine and just needs to recover. There will be scarring through, there's no helping in that." The doctor noticed some of the tension in the room ease, mostly from his father and Zexion too. He had been concerned about his brother, seeing as there was a thick bandage covering the top of the head. Squall was going to be alright. He was so happy to hear that.

"And my youngest?" Lagura asked.

"Well…during the crash, a piece of glass got into his left eye. Luckily, it didn't go deep enough but it was beyond repair. We managed to keep the eye alive by repairing the veins and tissue however since the blood vessels inside were ripped apart, it discolored the eye and will remain like that color for the rest of his life. And because of the damage that was done, the eye will forever be blind. He'll never be able to see out of it ever again."

"W-What…?" Lagura gasped, eyes widening. He glanced over to Zexion, who had fallen back down onto the bed.

Zexion reached up and touched the bandage carefully. He felt anger rising up.

"A-And what about the other driver? What happened to him?" Lagura tried to calm himself down but as the heart monitor jumped, it wasn't possible.

The doctor paused a little at that. He turned to the nurse, giving her some kind of signal. "It's best if I tell you that later. Right now, you need to rest to recover. Both you and your children are alive and well. That's all you need to know right now."

Zexion turned away, growling to himself. His fingers clenched the white sheets. The driver was alright, it was so obvious. That's why they didn't want to tell his father. Damn that man…

Damn him!!

_

* * *

_

Present time…

Zexion placed a hand on the kitchen chair, pushing it back so he could sit. He stared at his brother, who was cooking breakfast and sighed. His blue eye scanned over the silverware and plates that were neatly placed out on the table. The lights were on since it was still dark outside and for some odd reason, today Riku and Axel had decided not to crash in, which was fine. He didn't mind those two at all, they covered the areas of speaking him and his brother too couldn't since both Leonharts were always quiet while they were loud. But it was nice to get a break from them every once in a while.

Even Leon had commented that too much silence could drive a person insane.

Zexion shook his head and watched his brother move his right hand that had the spatula in it. He momentarily spotted his reflection on a knife, his cold expression. Zexion looked away.

He hated his face, more than his brother did his own.

Because of his eye, he had to hide everything. Leon couldn't but he had gotten used to the stares he had gotten when people looked at the scar that split his face in half. Zexion wasn't able to do so. He loathed the mark and still despised the driver that had done this to him mostly because the driver had gotten away with no permanent damage. Zexion lost his eye, Leon got a scar, and his father had broken ribs and a pierced stomach while the driver had gotten away scot-free. It wasn't right and because no one died, it couldn't be counted as manslaughter, just plain old drunk driving with the man forced to pay the hospital bills and go to prison for a while.

But it wouldn't be long before the man came out of prison and would probably go back to his same routine, driving drunk.

Zexion glared at his reflection and momentarily tilted his face, reaching up with his right hand to push the bangs away. He saw his blind eye, his accursed eye, the red that peeked through. It was blood red, so bright, so…ugly. He glared harder.

"Zexion, no glaring at your reflection." Leon scoffed over his shoulders able to see his brother from the reflection of the glass window in front. "It's been a long time, almost nine years. You need to learn to live with it. I still hate my scar but there's nothing that can be done. At least you can hide yours behind your hair."

"I know…" Zexion's anger evaporated at his brother's words. It was true, his brother was right.

"Cheer up. I made your favorite French toast with sugar and blueberries." Leon placed the dishes onto the table with a sharp click, though it was obvious to tell that there was a little too much food for just the two of them. "I was expecting those two to arrive by now. Guess they're really not showing up today. Pity…"

"Perhaps not. We can save the rest for later today when they come over for dinner."

"Yeah."

Zexion took a fork full after cutting a piece off and swallowed it happily. He felt the warm food go down his throat and took a sip of water to help it go down better. He poured some syrup onto it to help the taste. "I bet they're going to come just as we finish."

Leon smirked. "Wouldn't be surprised if they did."

Just as Zexion was about to take his second bite, a door bell rang. "And there they are and I was so hoping for a quiet breakfast for the start of the day."

"They're right on time."

Leon got up from his spot, heading towards the front door to let their friends in. Zexion remained where he was at and continued to eat. He could hear the chattering in the background, coming closer and smiled softly.

Even with a bad eye, he really had to count his blessings for such a wonderful life.

* * *

Thanks for reading!!


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